Just a Kiss
by FrostQueen188
Summary: When an aspiring broadway star and an aspiring actor meet in a bar one night their lives change forever. Now they are married with two kids, a black lab, a yellow lab, and a kitten running around. Follow their journey. Idina Menzel/Tom Hiddleston fanfic.
1. Chapter 1

"What can I get you to drink?" the Bartender said to the young man.

"Um... can I get a small glass of whiskey please, darling?" He answered.

"Sure! Give me a second." She replied.

He immediately fell in love with her. She had beautiful brown eyes and long, wavy brown hair that fell perfectly on her shoulders.

"Here you go sir." She said, handing him his drink.

"Thanks!" He said taking a sip, "What is your name, by the way?"

"Oh, I am Idina. Idina Menzel. You?"

"Uh Tom. Tom Hiddleston. Pleasure meeting you.

"You too!" She replied, smiling brightly.

God, she was so divine. With her big chocolate eyes and angelic voice.

Tom nodded and took a drink of his whiskey while Idina went back to work.

~A few hours later~

"Sir, I need to ask you to get off the counter, please." Idina stood, looking up at Tom as he danced drunkenly on top of the bar counter.

"Awe, come on, love! Have a little fun!" He then proceeded to pull Idina, whom struggled against him, up onto the bar. She narrowed her eyes at him and jerked away, crossing her arms.

"Tom. Get. Down." She demanded.

"But... But... Idina! Why?" He said, sounding like a little child.

"Because," She started, "I don't want you to fall and hit your head."

"But Idina!" He said as Idina pulled him down, "You guys have Karaoke?"

_Oh god..._ Idina thought. Last thing they needed was him on the Microphone. Tom then grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the stage. Good thing her shift had ended, otherwise her boss would be pissed.

"What song should we sing, love?" He asked.

"Umm... How about _Just a Kiss_ by Lady Antebellum?" She suggested, not being serious at all.

Tom smiled brightly and drug her up onto the stage. Idina groaned inwardly. Did he not hear the sarcasm in her voice? Obviously not because he shooed the current woman that was on stage off in the middle of her song. He then proceeded to drag another microphone onto the stage and maneuvered Idina in front of it. She glared at him but decided to play along if it meant she could get home sooner. And away from him. Tom positioned himself next to Idina and the lyrics rolled onto the monitor.

"_Lyin' here with you so close to me, it's hard to fight these feelings when it feels so hard to breathe," _Idina began the song, causing Tom's jaw to drop in awe. "_Caught up in this moment, caught up in your smile."_

"_I've never opened up to anyone." _Tom entered, looking sideways at Idina who rolled her eyes. "_So_

_hard to hold back when I'm holding you in my arms."_

"_We don't need to rush this," They sang together. "Let's just take it slow."_


	2. Chapter 2

"Tom, stop telling the girls nonsense stories. We did not meet at a strip club." Idina snapped, from where she stood in the kitchen, making dinner. "We met in a bar before either of us became famous. Not to mention we met when you were wasted."

"But, Idina Dear, there's no fun in that story," Tom winked at her and continued to play Cards Against Humanity with their two daughters, Dawn and Shelby.

She groaned and her two daughters started to giggle but quickly shut up when their mother turned and looked at them with a raised eyebrow. Nobody fought with that eyebrow. Except Tom, of course. But what's new there?

He was the more laid back, comical parent, whereas Idina was the stricter, more serious parent. She was always the one to hand out punishments when the girls did something wrong or talked back. Tom always tried to stop it but Idina was too stubborn to let him win.

Idina continued to cook dinner and Tom continued to play Cards Against Humanity with Dawn and Hayley. After a few moments of silence, Shelby asked, "You guys met in a bar?"

"Yes, Shelby, we did. And you're father was completely wasted. It's a wonder why I didn't call security to haul him outside when he decided to drag me to the stage to sing karaoke with him," Idina wiped her hands off and walked over to the living room where they all sat around the coffee table.

"But you're such a good singer, mom!" Shelby complimented her mother, looking up at her. "Why wouldn't you have gone up there?"

"Because she didn't want to compete with me." Tom said, smiling at the playful glare Idina gave him. "We all know that I'm a much better singer than your mother."

"Says the one who _isn't _on Broadway," Idina replied.

"Says the one who isn't on Broadway,"Tom mocked her in a higher pitched voice, dodging the hand that came flying towards him.

"Girls, how about we put the game away and eat dinner? It's almost ready." Idina said, turning around and walking into the kitchen.

"Okay mom!" They both said at the same time.

Everyone gathered around the dinner table as Idina brought the food out. Penne Mariscos was the meal tonight. It is a type of pasta with shrimp, scallops, and covered in Tomato cream sauce.

"After your father and I got married, we went on a cruise and this was one of our favorites. I asked for the recipe and the head chef gave it to me. I present... Penne Mariscos. A Carnival Cruise Line favorite!" Idina said, setting it down in the center of the table, "Enjoy!"

"Mom, this is delicious!" Dawn said, having already ate half of the serving on her plate.

"This tastes just like the one we had 13 years ago on the honeymoon! I love it, darling." He said, taking another bite.

"Thanks, hun." Idina replied.

"So, you guys really met at a bar?" Dawn asked.

"For the third time, yes, Dawn. We met in a bar. I was the bartender who allowed your father a few too many beers," She replied, taking a bite of the food and looking at Tom.

"See? No fun in that story, girls," Tom said, receiving a glare from Idina.

"It's a wonder I married you. Honestly." Idina continued eating in silence.

Shelby was the first to finish her food and took her plate to the sink and started doing the dishes, soon followed by Dawn. When Idina finished, she leaned back and shook her head when Shelby came over to take her plate. Her eyes locked on Tom. The girls cleaned up the kitchen and went off to get ready for bed.

"Really? No fun in that story?" Idina asked, looking at him sternly.

"What? There is no fun in it!" Tom exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Oh really? Singing karaoke wasn't fun?" She replied, standing up and walking into the Kitchen.

"That was fun...but it would've been cool to have met somewhere unique. Not cliché like a bar." He said, sitting back in his chair.

Idina's eyebrow raised. "Meeting in a bar is not cliché, Tom. Being high school sweethearts or being friends since we were six is cliché," She snapped, her patience wearing thin. "I don't understand why you're telling them we met in a strip club either. They're ten and eleven for God's sake! They don't need to know what a strip club is, Tom!"

"I'm just joking with them, Idina! C'mon, lighten up! Stop being so uptight!" He exclaimed, loudly. "You need to lighten up and have a little fun once in a while."

"I'm going to check on the girls." Leaving him with that, she stood up and went upstairs to check on the girls. They were sitting on Shelby's bed, talking quietly. They looked up as Idina walked in and instantly became silent. Idina sat on the edge of the bed and looked at them, smiling softly.

"You okay, girls?" She asked gently, knowing her daughter's had her and Tom arguing.

"Are you and dad going to get a divorce?" Shelby asked quietly.

"Oh, honey..." She pulled both of the girls close. "Of course not. I just got a little upset with your dad and his stories. We aren't going to get a divorce. In fact, we're going to stay married for a long, long time."

Shelby and Dawn nodded, smiling up at their mother who smiled back. It was amazing how different they were. Shelby had dark brown eyes and dark brown hair like her mother and Dawn had green eyes and blonde hair like her father. They were both so different yet so alike at the same time.

"Let's get you girls in bed," Shelby said and both girls nodded.

After tucking both the girls in bed and cleaning up the kitchen, Idina went upstairs to the room she shared with Tom. He was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard and reading. He looked up at Idina when she entered the room and shut the door, putting his book down. She walked over to her dresser and grabbed a pair a pajamas then changed before going over to her side of the bed and getting under the covers, laying on her side, back facing Tom. He could tell she was still upset after their disagreement at dinner so he rubbed her hip soothingly.

"Darling, I'm sorry about earlier," He murmured.

"It's okay..." She answered softly. "I'm sorry I snapped at you..."

"It's alright, love," He said as she turned towards him. "What's on your mind?"

"I'm just stressed about the Broadway show I auditioned for and I'm taking all my anger out on you. Shelby asked me if we were going to get divorced." She said, looking up at him.

"I know you'll get the part. You're an outstanding singer and actress. As for Shelby's question, we'll never get divorced, darling. I love you too much." He whispered, kissing her softly on the lips.

"I love you too." She murmured sleepily as Tom turned off the light and pulled her close, both of them falling into a fitful sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Idina rolled over onto her side and opened one of her eyes to look at her alarm clock. 9:48am. She groaned and rolled back onto her other side and cuddled into Tom, who was wide awake and reading. He chuckled and rubbed her back with the hand he wasn't using to hold his book. Idina looked up at him and smiled softly, resting her head on his chest. Tom smiled back and kissed the top of her head.

"Good morning, sunshine," He murmured softly to her.

"Morning," She smiled up at him before kissing him and getting out of bed.

"Well someone's a go getting this morning." Tom stated, setting his book on his abdomen. "Meeting this morning or something?"

She looked at him and shook her head. She was always up early, before anybody in the house. Shouldn't he know that after thirteen years of marriage? Obviously not.

"No. I'm always up early. Most of the time I'm up earlier than this. You should know this by now, Tom." She grabbed a pair of jeans from the closet along with a shirt and changed. "You must be a really deep sleeper if you can't feel me fight my way out of your arms every morning."

Tom shrugged. "I must be. So what's for breakfast?"

"You expect me to cook you breakfast?" Her eyebrow raised and a playful smile tugged at her lips.

"Idina!" He whined and looked at her. "You always make me breakfast!"

"I spoil you. That's what I do," She said walking over and kissing him chastely on the lips before walking downstairs, calling over her shoulder, "Maybe you should return the favor!"

As she walked into the kitchen, she saw her daughters lounging on the couch casually watching television. She smiled briefly before realizing their morning chores weren't done. Both Dawn and Shelby knew that they needed to have their chores done by 10:00am before they could do anything else.

"Girls, why aren't your chores done?" She asked, starting a pot of coffee.

"Dad said they could wait," Dawn replied, looking at her mother.

Idina pinched the bridge of her nose. God damn him. He knew the rules as well as they did. They should've known better than to listen to him because they knew they'd get in trouble if they didn't do them. She was going to have a talk with Mr. "They-Can-Wait." Maybe she'd give him chores to do too. The thought of listening to him complain about doing chores brought a smirk to her face.

"Well, since you decided to abide by your father's rules and not mine, you get extra chores today," Idina told them sharply.

"But mom-" Dawn started but was cut off by Shelby hitting her arm and saying, "Hush or you'll make it worse."

Idina nodded in silent agreement to what Shelby said. Not only did Dawn look like Tom but she also had the same personality. A personality that led her and her sister into trouble more often than Idina liked. Shelby on the other hand was more like her mother, in looks and personality. She was also much quieter than her older sister.

"Not only are you going to do the chores you decided to put off, you'll be giving the dogs a bath, mowing the yard, and watering the garden," Idina said sternly, rolling her eyes when the girls groaned. "Now, girls."

They got up and started doing their chores. Idina poured herself a cup of coffee, turning her said as she saw Tom walk downstairs. "As for you, you'll be cleaning the cars."

"What?" He asked, clearly confused. "What did I do?"

"Really, Tom?" Idina asked him, raising an eyebrow. "You told the girls they didn't have to do their chores, when you know that's the rule."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." He said, pouring himself coffee.

"You better be." She smiled. "The girls better have their chores done before I get back and you better have the cars washed before I get back."

"Where are you going?" He asked confused.

"I need to go into the studio to record a few songs for the album for _Wicked_," Idina said, grabbing her purse and walking towards the door. "Have fun with your chore."

"I will!" Tom exclaimed as she shut the door then started to think of mischievous ways he and the girls could get Idina back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you guys so much for all the reviews! We're so glad that you guys are enjoying this story! We're having a blast writing it because it's not a pairing people would put together! But I guess that's what you get when you put a Tom Hiddeston freak and a Fanzel together! Also, we do not own the song **_**Take Me or Leave Me, **_**nor do we own RENT! Again, thank you guys so much! ~IdinaIsMyQueen**

A few hours later, Idina returned home to see that the cars had been washed and the lawn was mowed. But, where were Tom and the girls? Out of nowhere, a stream of water shot across the Suburban and hit Idina.

"What. The. Hell! TOM!" She yelled, looking on the other side of the truck just to find Tom and the girls laughing.

"Sorry, darling." He said, standing up and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"What was that for?" Idina asked, looking at Tom with the stern look she always dealt out when someone was in trouble.

"Oh, no reason. Just to mess with you." He replied, smirking. He then turned to the girls and said, "Roll up the hose and empty the buckets please."

"Yes, dad!" Shelby and Dawn said at the same time.

Tom followed a mad Idina into the house. She ran into the bedroom and changed into a pair of yoga pants and a tshirt. She went into the kitchen to begin dinner when Tom popped around the corner and wrapped her into a hug.

"Sorry dear. It was my idea. The kids just went along with it." Tom said, tightening his grip around her waist.

"Uh huh." She said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to take a shower. Maybe call for take-out tonight, as I am not really in the mood to cook."

Tom let her go and Idina walked down the hall to the Master Bath. He then proceeded to go into the living room and grab the phone.

"What's for dinner, Dad?" Dawn asked, walking into the room.

"Take-out from the Chinese restaurant down the street." He replied, dialing the number.

The girls knew exactly what this meant. It means that they are going to get to sit in front of the TV and watch a movie! Tom placed the order and gave them the address.

When the food arrived, Idina was nowhere to be found. Tom looked everywhere for her but couldn't find her. He knew all of her hiding spots when she was unhappy or frustrated. This time he was stumped though. It was soon pushed to the back of his mind. She would come out eventually and everything would be better, so he sat down on the couch and started eating his Chinese food.

"Dad, where's mom?" Shelby asked.

"I don't know, sweetheart. I couldn't figure out where she's hiding. Why don't you try to find her?" He suggested, looking at her briefly.

Shelby nodded and got up, going down to the basement. She knew exactly where her mother was hiding. It was somewhere Tom should know to look but it always seemed to slip his mind. Shelby walked downstairs to the basement and knocked on her mother's studio door. She walked in slowly when she heard a quiet, "Who is it?" Shelby's heart dropped when she saw her mother. Idina was sitting on a chair, her knees brought up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them and her chin resting on them. She was staring at nothing in particular and briefly glanced up at her daughter, smiling softly.

"Hey, baby girl," Idina said quietly.

"Hi, mom," Shelby walked over and sat on the desktop. "You okay?"

Idina shrugged.  
"Mom, tell me what's wrong. I don't like seeing you like this." Shelby said.

"It's your dad. He knows I'm stressed about this musical and being in the studio to record _Wicked_ isn't helping," Idina groaned and got up, grabbing a Gatorade out of her mini fridge, handing one to Shelby.

"There's something else. What is it?" Shelby sat on her mother's lap and took a drink of her Gatorade.

"There's nothing else, Shelby," Idina responded halfway through her daughter's question, causing Shelby's eyebrow to raise in the same manner as her mother's usually does.

"Don't lie to me, Idina Kim Menzel," Shelby teased, taking another drink of her Gatorade.

"Shelby Maureen Menzel, don't use that tone with me," Idina teased back then sighed. "You're right. There is something else."

"What is it?" Shelby asked again.

"I'm… I'm pregnant…"Idina deadpanned and a tear slipped out of her eye.

Shelby was speechless and just wrapped her arms around her mother who started to cry softly. _Why me? _Idina asked herself. _Because you wanted this role so badly that the universe isn't going to give it to you. _

Idina quickly composed herself and looked at Shelby who smiled softly and kissed her mom on the cheek.

"Why don't we rehearse a little bit?" Idina suggested and grabbed the sheet music that was sitting on her desk and handed a copy to Shelby.

"'_Take me or Leave Me? _Really? You're rehearsing RENT? You were already in this musical," Shelby stated.

"Yeah, but it's the only song that I could think of that has a female duet," Shelby said, getting up and going to the piano. "Maureen or Joann?"

"I'll take Joann. I know how much you love your original role and 'kiss, pookie,'" Shelby said, a pout finding her features as she sat next to her mother.

"Alright then," Idina smiled and started playing the wonderful Broadway song. "_Every single day, I walk down the street. I hear people say 'baby' so sweet…"_


	5. Chapter 5

**So, In the last chapter we decided to have a mother/daughter moment with Idina and Shelby. This chapter is mainly Dawn and Tom in the same aspect of having a shared moment. We do not own Thor:The Dark World (well, I have the movie in my collection) and I promise to not ruin it for you IF you have not seen it:) Oh, Thanks for all of the reviews! We truly love reading those comments, and it gives us another reason as why to continue the story! Enjoy! ~LokiLover1578**

**p.s: I know this is a very short chapter... I have been working on Chapter 5 for over a week now, so I added a few things and decided to post. Chapter 6 is coming soon!**

Tom and Dawn sat on the couch while Shelby talked to Idina. Tom was finishing his takeout and Dawn was flipping through the channels.

"Nope… Nope.. Nope… AH! I think I am going to watch this." She said, looking at her dad with a mischievous look.

"What movie is it?" He asked, cautiously awaiting her answer.

"It's probably a movie you have seen a lot. You know… And been nominated for?" She said, sitting back in the chair.

"Thor: The Dark World?" He asked, getting up and going to the kitchen.

"Yeah, we don't have to watch it if you don't want to." She said, turning down the volume a bit.

"I don't care either way, Dawn." Tom said.

Tom threw away his trash and did some cleaning in the kitchen. Dawn eventually came in and helped. Dishes were washed, trash was taken out, and the pets were fed. She followed her dad back into the living room and sat on the couch next to him.

"What made you want to do acting, Dad?" Dawn asked, looking at him.

"Hmmm… good question dear. I don't exactly know why. Probably because I loved doing impressions and theater in school. I was amazed when the University of Cambridge accepted me into their program. I did a production there that was one of my favorites, _A Streetcar Named Desire_ was what it was called. Very fun performance." He replied, "But after Cambridge, I started out in _Unrelated_, as Oakley. Then I played a man named Edward in a movie called _Archipelago_, which was directed by Joanna Hogg. She also directed _Unrelated_ as well. I have done many things on BBC, and now, here I am." He replied.

"When did you meet mom?" Dawn asked.

"Oh, it was in 2006. Shortly after I was in _Unrelated_. I was 22 and she was 21. It was a sort of premiere party for it, held at the bar she worked at." He said, taking a sip of his drink.

"That sounds fun!" Dawn said, "And from last nights story, I know they had karaoke there as well."

"Haha, yeah they did. _Just a Kiss _by Lady Antebellum was the song we sang. Both your mom and I love that song, even to this day. I hear it on the radio a lot and it always makes me think of her. Trust me, your mother has a wonderful voice." He said, looking at Dawn, "You know what? Shelby looks so much like Idina and you look a lot like me. I just now noticed that. She just has that same personality as Idina, and we have the same personality."

"I have the same personality as you?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, we both like to annoy Idina and Shelby." He said, laughing.

"I wonder if Shelby has talked to Mom. They haven't come back up yet. I hope everything is alright." Dawn said, looking towards the basement door.

"Me too." Tom said.


	6. Chapter 6

**Again, thank you guys so much for all the views and positive comments! It means so much to us and we're glad you're enjoying it! We try to update quickly because I know it bugs me when people take **_**forever**_ **to update their stories and I also know how much you guys love this couple together! Oh, and we have no rights to **_**Funny Girl**_ **or **_**The**_ _**Bounty Hunter.**_ –**IdinaIsMyQueen**

After about an hour or so of just messing around on the piano, Shelby and Idina decided to go to the theatre room to watch a few movies, even though it was 11:30 at night. Idina was the type of parent who usually enforced her daughters' bed time but she knew she needed some time to calm down and watching movies with her youngest daughter was just what she needed.

"How about _Funny Girl?"_ Shelby asked, holding up the DVD.

"You know I can't resist Barbra," Idina smiled and started up the popcorn maker. "But I think we should save that for another time. I'm in the mood for a romantic comedy."

Shelby nodded and put the movie back then went back to searching for a movie. Idina smiled, knowing her daughter wanted to do anything she could to make her happy. She had known from the moment Shelby was born that both of her daughters were going to be worlds different. Dawn being like Tom and Shelby like Idina. In looks, personality, and talent. Shelby could almost give Idina run for her money when they sang karaoke and Dawn was a phenomenal actress for her young age of eleven.

"What about _The_ _Bounty Hunter?" _Shelby's voice snapped Idina out of her thoughts.

"Sounds perfect," Idina put the popcorn in a bowl and sat on the couch as Shelby put the movie and dimmed down the lights. Halfway through the movie they both fell asleep.

When Idina woke up the next morning she was in her bed. She sat up slowly and yawned, looking around. Tom wasn't in the room. She looked at the clock. 12:00pm. Idina shot out of bed and quickly started getting ready. She was supposed to take Shelby to her piano lesson a half hour ago. Rushing downstairs she saw Tom going over his lines with the help of Dawn.

"Where's Shelby?" Idina demanded.

"At her lesson," Tom replied, not looking at her then continued memorizing his lines.

"Did you take her?"

"Yes, darling, I did since you decided to sleep in until noon." Tom's response was snappy, causing Idina's eyebrow to raise. She was not in the mood to deal with his usual attitude when he ran through his lines.

"Tom, I'm not in the mood for you being a jerk right now," Idina snapped back.

"And I'm not in the mood for you being irresponsible and not taking Shelby to her piano lesson," He finally turned to look at him, his voice even.

"Dawn, go take the dogs on a walk please." Idina's dark brown eyes never left Tom's face and her voice was flat.

Dawn nodded, not daring to argue with her mother right now, and left the room. Tom gathered up his papers, setting them on the coffee table in a neat pile. Idina crossed her arms and leaned against a wall. Tom sat on the couch and took a drink of his tea, looking up at her.

"What's your problem this morning, dear?" He asked.

"Right now, you." She retorted.

"Why? Because I called you irresponsible?" Tom leaned back and set his feet on the coffee table.

"How am I irresponsible? Because I woke up late? Because last time I checked, I'm out of the house and at work before you're even awake. I was at work yesterday while you were home doing nothing. I don't want to hear about me being irresponsible when I'm working every day while you stay at home," Her voice was quiet and Tom knew she was furious.

He got up and walked over to her, putting his hands on her hips. She pulled away and looked at him. Her eyes were burning with anger and disappointment, letting Tom know she was beyond furious.

"Don't even try making this better, Tom. I want a reasonable apology by the time Shelby and I come back." She grabbed her bag and went to her car. She was going to the lake house for the weekend with Shelby.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Hey guys! I am SO sorry that we haven't put a new chapter up in over two months! I feel terrible but school has started at there has been A LOT of drama, as well as homework! But whenever I have free time in class, I write a little bit just to keep up! To make up for it, I'm putting up a long chapter! Thank you guys so much for all the positive reviews! Both LokiLover1578 and I know that Tom Hiddleston and Idina Menzel are an unusual pairing but unusual is good! And PLEASE don't hate me because I'm making Idina give Tom the cold shoulder! There are more reasons for it than him just being rude to her. I'm also sorry (not really) for throwing in James Snyder (3) and Tracie Thoms into the story! But you can't just have four characters in a story and expect it to get interesting! But again, thank you guys so much for all the reviews and I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up! Also, Shelby and Dawn's ages are changing! We think that they act older than they really are, so Dawn is 16 and Shelby is 15! Thanks for your patience with us, guys! ~IdinaIsMyQueen**

Before Idina picked up Shelby she ran a few errands. First on her list was groceries so Tom and Dawn were taken care of while she and Shelby were gone. She knew that both her husband and her oldest daughter would eat out every night she was gone. Just thinking of eating that greasy food made Idina feel nauseous. After years of being on Broadway she learned to eat healthier. She no longer drank milk because it wasn't good for her vocal chords, although that was more for sopranos rather than belters. She also never ate out often, due to having to stay in shape and in good health. Shelby started to follow her mother's dietary habits because she wanted to be on Broadway just like Idina.

Still thinking, Idina pulled up to the music store where Shelby took her piano lessons. Every week the two bought new sheet music to add to Idina's large collection. Idina looked at her watch, realizing she was ten minutes early, but that was typical for her. She was always early to everything. But that was only because she was late to her audition for Wicked. Not only was she late, but she messed up the solo in Defying Gravity, yet she ended up getting the part of Elphaba anyway.

Getting out of the car and locking it, she went into the music store. As she walked in, she bumped into a tall man. Looking up, a large smile grew on her face as she recognized the man.

"James!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Idina!" he returned the hugs, lifting her and spinning her around in a circle before realizing her.

"How are you?" She asked.

"I'm good. Yourself?" He replied politely.

"I've been better," she smiled, maintaining her stoic composure. "I've heard you're going to try getting a part in If/Then. Are those rumors true?"

"They are indeed, Idina," James said. "I've heard the same about you."

Idina nodded. "Yeah, I'm trying to get the part of Elizabeth."

"I figured." He chuckled. "I know you'll get it. You're phenomenal.

"Awe, James." A slight blush crept across her cheeks. "Thank you."

"So what brings you here?"

"I'm picking up my daughter from her piano lesson," She said, picking up a book of sheet music and flipping through it.

"Daughter?" James seemed dumbfounded.

"Surely I've told you I have two kids?" Idina looked up at him.

Before he could reply, Shelby walked over and stood by her mother. James' jaw dropped as he looked between the two, causing Idina to laugh quietly and Shelby to smirk.

"You okay, James?" Idina asked gently.

"I was going to accuse you of adopting but she's a spitting image of you, Dee." He sjiled and looked at Shelby. "Hi, I'm James"

"I'm Shelby." They shook hands. "It's nice to meet you, James."

"You too, Shelby." He smiled and looked back at Idina. "Well, I'm going to get going. I have a lot to get done today. It was nice seeing you again, Idina. Nice to meet you, Shelby."

When he left Shelby looked at her mother in question. Idina shook her head, silently telling her she'd explain later. Shelby nodded and with a silent agreement they both started browsing the sheet music. After spending almost an hour looking, they decided on seven new songs. The artists varying between Journey to Britney Spears. There were no limits for the two of them when it came to the music they sang. Except scream, opera, and rap. Those were three genres Idina couldn't stand. In her mind they shouldn't be considered music. But that was just her.

As they got Idina's Mustang and went to lunch, Shelby started flipping through a few of the songs, trying to get the upper hand against her mother when they would sing it for the first time together. Shelby had still not figured out how Idina was able to sing almost every song they practiced perfectly on the first try.

Shelby pulled herself out of her thoughts as they pulled up to the restaurant. She reached into the back seat and grabbed her jacket then put it on. She slid out of the car and shivered lightly at the cold air. Autumn in New York was like autumn in Colorado. It looked warm but it was actually quite cold. Idina looked over at her daughter then locked the car and walked inside. Shelby followed and sighed in relief as the warm air hit her. A waitress lead them to a booth, where Shelby proceeded to take off her jacket and set it next to her.

"So who was that guy?" Shelby asked as she looked at the menu. "You guys seemed really friendly."

"That was James. He's a close friend," Idina didn't look at her daughter.

"And you know him how?" Shelby pressed.

"I helped him with his singing and acting so he could make it onto Broadway," Idina replied.

"That didn't answer my question," Shelby replied back, her eyebrow raised in the same way her mother usually raised hers.

"Does it really matter, Shelby?" Her mother countered.  
"Yes. It does."

Idina raised her head and studied her daughter, her own eyebrow rising. Shelby's smart-assed behavior diminished as she looked at her mother. She bowed her head to look back at her menu. Idina nodded in approval and continued to look at hers.

"So you and I are going to the lake house this weekend." Idina said after they ordered their food.

"Dad and Dawn aren't going?" Shelby was stunned by her mother's statement. Usually all four of them went together.

"No. Your father was being rude to me this morning and he needs to think a few things over." Idina responded to her daughter's question in an even tone.

"Oh… When are we leaving?" Her daughter asked, taking a drink of her tea.

"After we stop by the house and you pack." Idina leaned back.

Shelby nodded and moved her phone and drink aside as their food arrived at the table.

They arrived at their house about an hour and a half later. As they got out of the car a black figure came flying towards them. It put its front paws on Idina's stomach and barked. Idina patted the dog's head then pushed him down.

"Fiyero!" Shelby dropped to her knees and hugged her chocolate Labrador Retriever around the neck before he rolled onto his back. She proceeded to rub his stomach and looked up at her mother. "Can he come too?"

"I supposed," Idina said, smiling at her daughter and the seven month old puppy. She knew getting Shelby Fiyero was the best thing she could've done. "I still can't believe you named him after my love interest in Wicked."

"It's better than Mark or Joanne," Shelby replied, standing up. "I could've named him Oz too."

"Or something normal like 'Midnight' or 'Boe,'" Idina said, walking into the house.

"At least I didn't name him after you like Dawn did. I mean, honestly, who names their dog Loki?" Shelby exasperated, following her mother into the house.

"Who names their dog Fiyero?" Idina countered and tossed her daughter a Gatorade.

Shelby rolled her eyes at her mother then walked up to her room to pack. She grabbed her duffle bag out of her closet and began to pack weather accordingly. It was supposed to be nice and warm the rest of the weekend so she packed shorts and a few tank tops.

Downstairs, Idina had started a pot of coffee and was sitting at the table looking over the audition music for If/Then when Tom came in the door. She briefly glanced up at him before looking back at the music. He walked over and tried to kiss her cheek but she moved her head away before she could. Sighing, he moved over to the coffee pot and poured both of them a cup. He set Idina's down in front of her then sat opposite of her. Idina remained focused on the music in front of her.

"Whatcha doing?" Tom asked, watching her.

Again, Idina just glanced up at him before looking back down again.

"Darling, I'm sorry about earlier," He said after a few moments but was met with more silence. "Idina, talk to me."

Before Idina could respond, Shelby walked downstairs and looked at her parents. Idina quickly stood, walking over to her and grabbed both of their bags. Tom watched them with his eye open wide as Idina just blew him off. Shelby waved and followed her out the door. Idina tossed their bags into the trunk and got in her beloved Mustang. Shelby doing the same and Fiyero jumped into her lap.

"There is a back seat, you know," Idina looked at her daughter as she started driving. "I can't imagine that he's not heavy."

"Eh," Shelby shrugged. "You get used to it after he sleeps on top of you night after night."

Idina merely nodded and kept driving. Little did Shelby know that they were going to picked up both Idina and Shelby's best friends. Idina's best friend was actually her lesbian lover when they were on RENT together. Yes, RENT was a movie based off of AIDS, gays, and lesbians but there's nothing wrong with that! It just opens people's eyes to those three "problems" in the world all while listening to good music. It's a win-win situation.

It was quiet while they drove to Tracie's, the only sounds coming from Fiyero and the radio. Both of them were deep in thought, which was unusual for Shelby since she was such a go getter and outgoing. For Idina it was usual. She never really spoke unless she was around family or a close friend. Unless she was on stage, of course. There, she would talk and talk and talk! You couldn't get her to shut up when you got her started when she was on stage, unless it was during a musical. Then she played her role she was supposed to and spoke only when she had to. Until somebody screwed up and they had to improvise.

"So, when are you going to tell dad that you're pregnant?" Shelby said, breaking the silence.

Idina jumped slightly and looked at her daughter, not expecting the sudden sound of a voice. She bit her lip nervously, due to the fact that she didn't know the answer to that question. In all honesty, she was scared to tell Tom that she was pregnant again. They said they would stop at two but neither of them wanted to stop being intimate because they believed they would stop loving each other as much as they used to. Of course, Tom had always wanted a son and he didn't want to adopt so he just accepted the fact that he was going to just have two daughters.

"I don't know, Shelby," Idina finally responded to her daughter. "I feel like he's going to get angry."

"Why would he get mad?" Shelby asked, looking at her mother.

"He only wanted two kids. Of course with the hopes of one being a boy but instead he got you and Dawn," Idina let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"Uh huh… So he's going to be mad that you're pregnant even though he wants a son and it's technically his fault?" Her daughter spoke in a very adult-like tone of voice and brought her leg up to her chest.

"Yes…" Idina replied, slowly dragging the word out as she took in what her daughter had just said. Then she realized her daughter was right. Tom had no reason to be mad at her when it was his fault. He's the one who wasn't careful when they we're being intimate and he always wanted a son. So what if this child she was carrying now was the son he so desperately wanted?

Idina looked at her daughter as she pulled up to Tracie's house and put the car in park. She put a hand on Shelby's leg and Shelby looked at her. They smiled at each other before Idina kissed her mini-me's forehead and got out of the car. She walked up to the house and knocked on the door. A few seconds later it swung open as Tracie's daughter, Chelsea, opened it. Her face was full of excitement as she made a mad dash for the Mustang. Tracie walked out slowly, shaking her head. The two women smiled warmly at each other and gave each other a tight hug.

"Idina, it's been too long," Tracie said as she pulled back and kissed Idina on the cheek.

"I agree," Idina smiled and returned the kiss to the cheek. "How've you been?"

"Good," Tracie said. "You?"

"I guess you can say I've been good," Idina's voice was chipper but her eyes gave her away.

"Dee, what's wrong?" Tracie's tone became worried as did her facial expression as she looked at Idina.

"I'll tell you when we get to the lake house." Idina said shortly.

Tracie nodded and they both went back to the car. Chelsea and Shelby had moved into the back seat, Fiyero giving Chelsea a bath with his kisses. Idina got into the driver's side and Tracie got in the passenger side. Idina started driving, again the only noises being the stereo and Fiyero.

"Mom, will you put in the RENT CD?" Shelby asked, giggling along with Chelsea.

"And why would I do that, dear?" Idina replied, smiling and looking at her daughter in the review mirror.

"Because Chelsea and I want to listen to it," Shelby said sweetly.

Both Tracie and Idina knew that wasn't true. Their daughters enjoyed listening to them end up battling out the songs from their previous work experience. It usually happened with Wicked too, although Tracie wasn't part of that musical. The two mothers looked at each other and smiled before Idina grabbed the CD from the middle console and put it in the CD player. The melodic piano of 'Seasons of Love,' the opening song, started to fill the car. Shelby grinned and started scratching behind Fiyero's ear.

"Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes," Tracie and Idina sang together, their voices harmonizing like they did 13 years ago. "Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear. Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes. How do you measure, measure a year?"

The two mothers battled back and forth, barely putting any effort into the songs. That was up until their signature song came up. 'Take Me or Leave Me.' Tracie and Idina smirked at each other, then Idina started the words to her famous Broadway song.

"Every single day, I walk down the street. I hear people say 'baby' so sweet," Idina rolled her eyes slightly and glanced over at Tracie then broke into a huge smile. "Ever since puberty, everybody stares at me. Boys, girls, I can't help it baby. So be kind and don't lose your mind. Just remember that I'm still you baby."

After an hour of singing all the songs from RENT, they finally made it to the lake house. Idina and Shelby got out, pulling their seats forward to let the girls and Fiyero out. Chelsea ran over and hugged Idina tightly. Shelby did the same to Tracie. Fiyero barked and circled the four of them, play bowing and barking again. Idina smiled and grabbed the first stick she found. She threw it into the lake, Fiyero immediately chasing after it and returning it to her. His coat was soaked. She threw it again.

"Shelby, play with your dog. Tracie and I are gonna go in and catch up a little bit," Idina said, grabbing their bags out of the Mustang and shutting the door.

"Yes, mother," Shelby smiled up at her mother then went with Chelsea to the shoreline and started throwing the stick for Fiyero.

Tracie and Idina made their way into the house and set their bags in their rooms. They met up in the kitchen where Idina was pouring them both a glass of red wine. She handed it to Tracie who thanked her before they went and sat in the very spacious, light living room. It had tall windows on all sides, with a perfect view of the lake. The furniture was white, as was the carpet. It had a dark wood coffee table and end tables. On the wall closest to the kitchen, there was a stone fireplace with a white-tail deer head mounted above it. The walls were plastered with pictures of nature.

"So what exactly happened between you two?" Tracie asked, taking a sip of her wine.

"Well, he knows I've been stressed out because I've been in the studio a lot recording Wicked and I have an audition coming up for If/Then. So he decides that he's going to let the girls slack off on their chores and with me being gone a lot, I can't make sure the house is clean," Idina tucked her legs underneath her and took a drink of her wine. "The other day I started to get morning sickness so I bought a pregnancy test..."

"Oh, god… Idina you're not…" Tracie trailed off.

"I am," Idina nodded grimly. "And I'm afraid to tell him because we agreed that we'd stop at two but you know how we get when we have a little too much to drink."

"Oh, Idina, I'm so sorry…" Tracie got up and hugged her best friend who in turn hugged her back. "Why don't we just go out on the lake and have some fun. Chelsea's been begging me to convince you to let her drive the boat."

"She still won't take no for an answer, huh?" Idina laughed lightly and downed the rest of her wine. "Alright, why not. I'll teach her how to drive it. Then for once, we can have some fun and not just the girls."

"I think so too," Tracie smirked and finished her wine as well.

The two women got up and put their glasses in the dishwasher before going out to the shore where Chelsea and Shelby were still playing fetch with Fiyero. Their daughter's backs were turned to them so Idina and Tracie slowly snuck up on them. When they were close enough, they rushed towards Chelsea and tossed her into the lake. She screamed as Shelby turned around. She tried to run but Idina grabbed her around the waist and lifted the struggling girl up.

"Mom, no!" Shelby screamed as she kicked her legs. "Please, no!"

Idina ignored her daughter's pleas and, with the help of Tracie, threw her helpless daughter into the cold lake water. The two mother's high fived before joining their daughter's in the water. Shelby jumped onto her mother's back and drug her under the water while Chelsea frantically splashed her mother in an attempt to keep her away. When Idina resurfaced she grabbed Shelby around the waist and kissed the side of her head, laughing.

"I'm never forgiving you for doing that," Shelby said, trying to act mad at her mother, but failed due to her incessant giggling.

"Oh, no. Whatever shall I do? My daughter hates me, Tracie. How will I ever live?" Idina laughed and held Shelby even closer.

"I don't know, Dee. Daughters hating their mothers, I've never heard of such a thing!" Tracie chuckled and looked at Chelsea, her eyes dancing.

The setting sun signaled that it was getting late and Idina guessed it was about six o'clock so she decided to get out and make dinner. Everybody else followed suit. Chelsea and Shelby grabbed their bags. Idina wrapped her arm around Shelby's shoulders as they walked inside.

"Go shower, girls. Dinner will be ready in about a half hour," Idina ordered.

The girls nodded and shot off to their rooms.

"More wine?" Idina asked Tracie.

"Yes, please," Tracie nodded and sat in one of the tall chairs at the island. "What are you making?"

"Steaks, fries, and a salad," Idina said, pulling out the ingredients.

"Need any help?" Tracie offered.

"No, I've got it. Thank you though," Idina offered her a smiled and kept cooking.

**By seven thirty they were all sitting in the basement watching RENT. Shelby and Chelsea are obsessed so of course they forced their mother's to watch it. The night went well and by ten o'clock, they had all passed out on the couch.**


	8. AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hey, guys! So I noticed in the comments somebody said that they don't ship this because Idina is 43 and Tom is 33. But you guys need to remember that this is a _fanfiction_. Nothing is going be the way it is in reality. Also, Idina is no longer married. She and Taye Diggs split in 2009 because he cheated on her. Yes, she has a son, Walker. She and Taye have agreed to co-parent him. But again, the beginning of this story takes place **before** she landed her role in _RENT _so things are playing out way differently than they really did. I'm sorry if that sounded mean but I just needed to clear that up, it has been bugging me since the comment was posted. Again, this is a _fanfiction_ and it can be manipulated in anyway.

So Lokilover1578 will be writing the next chapter! And it will hopefully be up by the end of the year! I'll be starting on chapter 9 as soon as I'm on winter break (I go back to school for two weeks to actually learn things/review then I have finals). But since I have a laptop now, I can take it to school and write when we aren't doing anything in some of my classes. Anyway, thank you guys for the reviews and I hope you keep reading this story! If any of you guys are Glee fans, I'll be putting my own story up on my personal accound, FrozenVampireAddict22, so check that out after I post it! Hope you guys are doing well and thank you again! The new chapter will be out soon! ~IdinaismyQueen22


	9. Chapter 8

**HEY! So, this Chapter is after Idina walked out of the house, ignoring Tom. A lot has happened so far! :) Of course, it only gets better! ~LokiLover1578**

Tom looked at Dawn, who was sitting on the couch playing with Loki.

"Did she just walk out?" Tom asked Dawn.

Dawn looked up at her father, who was just as shocked as she was. Her mom has never done something like that before, let alone ignore Tom like that.

"Looks like she just did." Dawn said, standing up and looking at her dad.

"Well, it looks like it is me and you for the weekend. And Loki of course. Ehehehe" Tom said, walking into the kitchen to start making dinner.

Dawn went to her room and worked on her homework while Tom made dinner. She reached for her phone, intending to call her friend Skye and ask her a question about Pre-Calculus. That didn't happen. She called Shelby.

"Shelby?" She asked.

"Yeah?" Shelby replied.

"How is mom doing? Dad is wondering about her." Dawn said, looking down at her homework.

Shelby sighed, "She is doing alright. Tracie and Chelsea are here as well."

"That's good. Tell Mom I love her alright? I gotta go. Dad just finished dinner." She said, saying goodbye and hanging up the phone.

Dawn walked into the kitchen and helped her dad bring the food out to the table. Spaghetti and Salad was on the menu today.

"Thanks for helping me out Dawn." He said, pulling out a chair for her and pushing her in after she sat down.

"No Problem Dad." She said back, then proceeding to put some salad onto her plate.

The whole time through dinner, Dawn thought about her mom and Shelby. She wondered if they were having fun at the Lakehouse. Dawn and her dad ate in silence. Not knowing what to say after everything that happened earlier today. Dawn finished her dinner and put the dishes in the sink. She went back to her room to work on Homework.

Tom finished cleaning up and went into the living room. He turned on the television and flipped through the channels. One movie caught his eye, well, it was more of a musical. It was RENT. He paused and then proceeded to watch the movie.

Dawn showered and got ready for bed. She SKYPED Skye and finished her Pre-Calculus. After she finished her homework, she finished getting ready for bed, knowing that this was going to be a long and interesting weekend.


	10. Chapter 9

Idina awoke to the smell of French toast and bacon. She looked down and realized she was in her bed. Rolling out of the queen sized bed, she went into the bathroom and got ready for the day. Still in her pajama pants and tank top she walked downstairs. As she walked into the kitchen she saw Tracie cooking. Tracie looked up at her and smiled, handing her a cup of coffee. Idina took it from her and smiled, taking a drink. She looked over into the living room and saw Chelsea and Shelby still passed out on the floor. Shaking her head, Idina took another drink of her coffee.

"Good morning, Idina," Tracie said cheerfully.

"Morning, Tracie," Idina replied and sat at the island. "You didn't have to cook, you know. I was planning on doing it."

"Eh. I thought I could do you a small favor for bringing us out here. Oh, by the way, here." Tracie handed Idina her iPhone. "It hasn't stopped ringing since I woke up."

Idina took her phone and saw that she had ten missed calls from Tom and one from Dawn. She closed her eyes in frustration, counting to thirty. She loved the man to death but he knew she wanted her space at the moment so why did he keep calling her? The dark haired woman unlocked her phone and decided to call Dawn back. Her oldest daughter answered after three rings.

"Hello?" Dawn answered.

"Hey, sweetheart, you called?" Idina took another drink of her coffee.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you were okay," Dawn said, stifling a yawn.

"I'm fine, sweetie. Just a little stressed. Is everything okay at the house? Is your father mad I just walked out?" Tracie looked over at Idina with a confused look on her face. Idina's facial expression was enough to tell Tracie she'd explain later.

"Everything's fine. And I think dad was shocked more than anything when you walked out. But I think he's also sad. He was watching RENT last night after dinner." Dawn explained.

"He was?" A small twang of guilt sudden built on her chest.

"Yeah. It was really weird. During dinner he didn't say a word to me then he cleaned up the dishes and watched RENT when he was done. I think he's mad at himself for whatever he did to you," Dawn said, unable to hide her yawn this time.

"Did I wake you up, Dawn?" Idina asked.

"No. I've been up for a while," Dawn lied quickly, not wanting to make her mother feel guilty.

"Dawn," Idina's voice was stern.

"Okay, yeah. I didn't get much sleep last night. I was worrying about you and dad. I don't want you two to get a divorce… I want you to fix whatever happened and I think Shelby does too," Dawn's voice turned shaky, which didn't go unnoticed by her mother.

"Oh, sweetheart," Idina spoke softly. "Don't worry about your father and I. Everything will be alright between us. Every relationship has its ups and downs. This will blow over soon."

"Promise?" Dawn's voice was a whisper.

"I promise, honey. Now get Loki and go back to sleep. You can wait a while before doing your chores. If your father asks, which he probably won't, just tell him that I told you that you didn't have to do them," Idina said, looking out the window at the lake.

"Yes, mom," Dawn said. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Dawn. Now go back to bed. I'll see you at the end of the weekend," Idina said before ending the call.

She proceeded to finish the rest of her coffee and got another cup. What was with her children thinking she and Tom were going to get a divorce? Well, they had never fought this much in a short amount of time before. But that was mostly because Idina wasn't home often due to being at the Gershwin or recording songs or being out in Colorado with her sister and mother. Usually she was levelheaded and easy to talk to but apparently being hormonal because of her pregnancy had changed her attitude dramatically. It also didn't help that even though her husband knew she was stressed, he didn't make things easier. Yes, he was a goofball and yes she loved him for it but he needed to act his age sometimes. Idina groaned and put her head in her hands.

"You okay?" Tracie asked as she put the food on the table.

"Just thinking. Dawn asked if Tom and I were getting a divorce. Again." Idina replied, looking up at her best friend.

"Again?" Tracie sat in the chair next to Idina.

"Yeah, again. She and Shelby thought we were getting a divorce when I snapped at Tom for telling them that we met at a strip club. We've never fought in front of the girls but lately that seems to be all that we're doing and I hate it," Idina's voice broke. "Dawn said she was awake most of last night worrying about Tom and I. I don't want my kids to worry about us. I want them to think about other things. Apparently Tom didn't even talk to Dawn during dinner then he watched RENT. He's only seen RENT once and that was when he went to the premier with me so he didn't have much of a choice. Oh, God, Tracie… I need to make things better."

"Hey…" Tracie got up and wrapped her arms around Idina who rested her forehead against Tracie's chest. "Dee, after breakfast we can leave if you want. Or you can go back and I can stay with the girls. Whichever one you choose."

"Would you mind staying here with them? It wouldn't be fair to Chelsea and Shelby for us to just leave. Besides, it's a long weekend. I'll be back before three," Idina got up and hugged Tracie. "Thank you, Trace. This means a lot."

"I hate seeing you cry, Idina. I'm just doing whatever I can to make you happy like a best friend should. Now go on. I'll tell Shelby where you went," Tracie said.

Idina nodded and grabbed the keys to the Mustang. She walked over to Shelby and kissed her forehead then went out to her beloved car. She got in and quickly turned it on before driving off. She didn't know what she was going to say to him. Should she tell him she was pregnant? She shook her head. No, that wasn't going to happen. Then again she might break and end up telling him out of guilt.

She battled with herself the whole forty-five minutes back to her house. As she pulled the car into the driveway, she became nervous. She still had no idea what she was going to say and improving was going to be difficult. Even for a Broadway star. Very slowly she got out her car and walked into the house. She spotted Tom sitting on the couch watching what seemed to be RENT. His back was to her and she very quietly walked up behind him putting her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. He jumped, quite clearly startled, and looked up at her. His eyes grew wide before he paused the movie. Idina walked around the couch and sat next to him. Her eyes kept flicking over to the TV screen. Tom had paused it right before she and Tracie had started to sing 'Take Me or Leave Me' at their wedding. She smiled, then turned to look at him.

"Tom…" She spoke quietly. "We need to talk…"

"I agree," He said. "You first."

"Well…" She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, not sure how to tell him. "First of all, I want to apologize about snapping at you yesterday. I'm just really stressed about the whole audition for If/Then and recording the soundtrack for Wicked. I just need your help around the house when I'm working, Tom. It's hard for me to do all of the cleaning while trying to help Shelby with her vocal training and working full time. I can't do it all on my own…" Once more, her voice broke and a tear slid out of her eye but she quickly wiped it away.

"Idina, I'm sorry… I should've helped you, you're right. I also shouldn't have been a jerk to you yesterday about not taking Shelby to her piano lesson," He looked up at her. "You are the most responsible woman I know. You take care of our daughters, you have a phenomenal job, and you do everything I can't. Darling, please forgive me. You're the greatest thing to have ever happened to me. You're beyond beautiful and talented. I should tell you that every day but I don't. I take you for granted. I love you, Idina Kim Menzel."

"Oh, Tom…" Idina threw her arms around him and hid her face in his neck so he couldn't see her cry. "I love you too…"

Tom rubbed her back for a few minutes until she pulled away and looked into his eyes. She then leaned down and kissed him softly before pulling away. This time he leaned up and kissed her, a little longer than last time.

"There's one more thing," Her voice was a whisper.

"And what would that be?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I'm pregnant again…" She bit her lip and looking down at her stomach where her hand was resting.

"What?" Tom looked at her in shock. "Why didn't you tell me this before? How far along are you?"

"I was scared, Tom." She admitted. "You said you only wanted two and I didn't know how you'd react to me telling you we were going to have another…"

"Love, I can't be mad at you about this. You're the one who gave me two of the greatest gifts in my life, so why be mad about my third greatest gift?" He rested his hand on her stomach and started to rub it gently like he did when she was pregnant with Shelby and Dawn. "How far along are you?"

"Two months." Idina whispered, smiling as he rubbed her stomach.

"I'm glad you told me, dear," Tom said before kissing her again. "You should probably go back to the lake house. I bet your daughter is missing you."

"_Our _daughter is probably plotting on how to get revenge on me after Tracie and I threw her into the lake yesterday. A trait she got from _you,_ might I add." Idina got up and grabbed her keys. "Oh, and talk to Dawn for me. She asked me if we were getting a divorce this morning. I don't think she understands that I mean that we aren't getting one. Try explaining to her. I know she listens to you better than she does me."

"Maybe that's because she and I are the exact same, just as you and Shelby are," He smiled and stood. "Now get out of here. Let me spend some quality time with my child."

"Okay, Mr. Pushy. I will." Idina rolled her eyes and kissed him again. "I love you, Tom."

"I love you too, Idina." Tom said, kissing her back.

Idina smiled up at him before going back out to her Mustang and driving back to the lake house. She sighed in relief. A major weight had been lifted off her shoulders after she told him she was pregnant. He was always understanding. She knew she had picked the perfect man to be her one and only. She didn't know what she would do without him. Idina thanked the Lord every day for that night sixteen years ago when Tom got drunk and drug her up onto stage to sing "Just a Kiss" by Lady Antebellum. Then, almost as if the heavens had planned it, that song came on the radio. Idina merely smiled and kept driving.

**Awwww! What a sweet little Idina/Tom moment there at the end! I tried to make her mad at him as long as possible but she had other ideas! And this chapter just kind of wrote itself. I had no control whatsoever. Anyway, do you guys think that Shelby is going to get revenge on Idina when she gets back to the lake house? Thank you guys again for all the reviews! It means a lot! Also, Lokilover1578 and I will be going to see Idina in concert in August! GAH! We can't wait! And, not purposefully, one of my Fanzel friends pointed out to me that Idina is actually in a movie called Just a Kiss! I swear we had no idea about that when we started writing this! It was written off the Lady Antebellum song, if you haven't figured that out. But, anyway, thank you again! I hope you enjoy! If you have any questions, feel free to ask and we'll answer them. ~IdinaismyQueen**


	11. Chapter 10

**Heya! So, sorry that the Chapters are so spaced out. Both of us are busy with School and jobs and things like that. So, we both want to apologize for this event. Please enjoy the chapter and I will be back soon! ~LokiLover1578**

_I can't believe this! Idina is pregnant again. _Tom thought to himself as he made dinner for Dawn and Himself. Tonight was Cheeseburger night, so Cheeseburger in Paradise by Jimmy Buffett was blaring out of the Ipod Dock. Tom was flipping burgers when Dawn walked in.

"Hey Dad. Need any help?" She asked, standing in the doorway.

"Hey kiddo. Yeah I could use some help with um… how about you cut the Lettuce, Tomatoes, and pickles for the burgers." Tom said, turning around and pointing to the spot on the counter.

"I can do that!" Dawn said, walking over to the counter. She began to cut the Pickles

when the door rang.

"Dawn, could you get that please?" Tom asked, looking at Dawn.

"Yeah!" Dawn exclaimed, running to the door. She opened it and exclaimed, "Uncle Ben!"

"Hey Kid! How are you doing?" Tom's close friend Benedict Cumberbatch asked as he walked in.

"Good! And you?" Dawn replied, walking back to the counter.

"I am well, thanks! Just you and Pops?" Benedict asked, following Dawn into the kitchen.

"Yeah, Mom and Shelby are with some friends at the lake for the weekend. Fiyero went with them. Just Dad, me, and Loki." Dawn said, finishing up the tomatoes and putting them on a plate. She put the chopped lettuce on a plate and the pickles in a bowl and took them to the table.

Dawn and Benedict sat down as Tom finished the burgers. He brought the burgers over, set the plate on the table, and sat down next to Dawn. The three of the them doctored up their burgers and began eating. A conversation popped up here and there, but it was mainly about their work and stuff. Dawn continued eating and went to her room for a bit. She grabbed her laptop and went into the study to work on a story that she was writing.

"Hey kid." Benedict said, popping open the door to the study. "You alright?"

"Yeah, just working on a story that I have been writing." She replied, setting down her laptop.

"Really? That's cool. So, your dad and I were talking about getting together sometime this week. My sister is in town and she has a daughter that is about your age. We were thinking about having a dinner or something like that. He is going to talk to your mum and sister about it when they come back." Benedict said, looking at Dawn.

"Sounds fun." Dawn said.

She set her laptop down and followed Benedict out and into the kitchen. They helped Tom wash dishes and clean up the kitchen. After everything was cleaned and put away, Tom and Benedict wanted to play a game. Tom grabbed Cards Against Humanity and called Dawn over. Dawn went and sat between the two at the poker table.

"This could get very interesting." Dawn said shortly after she sat down.

Tom dealt out the cards and they played for about two hours. Some of the funniest cards were played and Benedict ended up winning.

"Goodnight Uncle Ben." Dawn said, giving him a hug, then moving by her father. "Night dad." She said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Night!" Benedict and Tom said at once. The two resumed their drinking and the card game.

Benedict left shortly after midnight, and Tom cleaned up the kitchen, dining room, and living room before going to get ready for bed. Before Tom made it to his room, he popped in to check on Dawn. She was sitting on her bed with her laptop in her lap typing her story. Tom walked over and sat down on the bed next to her.

"Why are you not asleep Dawn?" Tom asked, looking at her with a concerned look.

"Well, it is because I miss Mom and Shelby. I love hanging out and playing games with you, don't get me wrong, but I love doing things as a whole family as well. You know, going to a museum or the park, taking the dogs for a walk. I want to do that again, but I don't know when Mom and Shelby are going to be home." Dawn said as she powered down her laptop and set it on her desk.

"Look, I miss Mom and Shelby too. They will be back sometime this week, I promise. Now, How about we take Loki out for a walk in the morning. What do you say?" Tom asked, looking at Dawn.

"Sure!" She said as she laid down on her bed and covered herself up.

Tom gave her a kiss on the forehead and said Goodnight. He turned off the light and headed into his room. Loki followed him and jumped onto the bed, claiming the spot that is normally occupied by Idina.

"Look at you! Lucky Dog you are!" Tom exclaimed while going into the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed.

Tom cleaned up the bathroom and laid down next to Loki. He watched some TV and eventually fell asleep. Dreaming of what tomorrow has in store and hoping Idina and Shelby come home.


	12. AN

Hey guys! LokiLover178 here! :) I wanted to let you know that we are in process of writing the next chapter. Both of us have been super busy and we both apologize for the delay. We hope you all understand! :) (P.S.: LokiLover178 is now LokiistheDoctor... Here on FF.) ~LokiistheDoctor


	13. Chapter 11

**Hey, guys! I am **_**SO **_**sorry that this chapter took forever to be posted, but as LokiistheDocter stated in the author's note, we have both been extremely busy with school. But school is only for another two months so after that we should be back up and running like we were when we first started this fanfic. **

**So in this chapter I introduced a new character (shocker) and it's Idina's sister! Yes, it's her sister in real life too. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and **_**PLEASE **_**don't kill me at the end of the chapter… But thank you guys for all the positive reviews and all the views! It means a ton to the two of us! Sorry, once again, for not updating this faster, it's totally my fault since I'm lazy but school is also to blame! ~IdinaIsMyQueen22**

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It was around 11 o'clock on Sunday night. Idina and Shelby had got home about fifteen minutes ago. They had dropped Tracie and Chelsea off, Idina not being allowed to drive off until she promised Tracie she would call her if anything happened or if she needed anything. Idina had agreed quickly just because she had to get Shelby home because she had school the next morning. Idina told her daughter to go get ready for bed and that she would bring in their bags. Shelby had merely nodded, going straight to her room as soon as they got home while Idina brought their things inside. Tom met Idina at the door and quickly pulled her into a tight embrace before kissing her softly.

"Well, hello," She murmured as she pulled away.

"Hello, my gorgeous wife," He replied, his hands on her hips. "How was your weekend?"

"It was good. Really good," Idina said, moving into the kitchen to make some coffee. "How was yours?"

"Good. Benedict came over on Saturday night." He said as he followed her into the kitchen.

She turned to look at him from where she stood. Her hazel eyes were tired yet they were bright.

"Benedict was over? And you guys didn't break anything?" She asked quizzically. "I think that's a first."

"I think it is too, darling," Tom said, kissing her cheek. "We didn't drink anything since Dawn was here. Speaking of Dawn, she missed you this weekend."

"I know." Idina poured coffee into her mug. "She called me and we talked a little bit. I feel bad for leaving her here. I mean she didn't know that I was pregnant. Shelby and Tracie were the only ones who knew up until I told you Saturday morning."

"Shelby knew before I did?" Tom asked.

"Yeah. The night you guys had Chinese food."

"The same night I heard you two singing "Take Me or Leave Me," Tom murmured quietly.

"You know the name of a song from RENT? Other than "La Vie Boheme?" Idina smirked up at him and took a drink of her coffee.

"I feel like you're judging me, Dee. Just because I know the words to the hardest song in that movie doesn't mean I don't know any of the other songs," Tom retorted, causing Idina to roll her eyes.

"I'm going to make sure that Shelby is in bed." She finished her coffee and put the mug into the dishwasher.

"Alright, have fun. I'm going to head to bed." He said.

"I'll be in there soon," She replied as she walked up the stairs and went into Shelby's room. She smiled when she realized the girl was already half asleep so she kissed her forehead before whispering, "I love you, baby girl."

Shelby mumbled her reply and Idina went into Dawn's room. She knocked gently before entering. Dawn was still awake, typing on her laptop with her headphones in her ears. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mother. The girl took her headphones out and looked up at Idina, who sat next to her.

"Hi, mom," Dawn greeted her.

"Hi, baby," Idina said, kissing the side of her head. "Whatcha working on?"

"Just writing," Dawn replied with a yawn which didn't go unnoticed by her mother.

"I think you need to go to bed, missy," Idina scolded.

"I know, mom. I was just waiting for you to get home. I missed you."

"I missed you too," Idina pulled back the covers of Dawn's bed as the girl shut her laptop down before getting in bed.

"Will you sing to me?" Dawn asked, yawning again.

"Of course." Idina sat on the bed next to Dawn and started to sing a soft lullaby to her daughter. Not long after, Dawn was out like a light and Idina went up to the room she shared with Tom where she found him watching television in bed.

"Both of the girls are asleep," She stated as she changed into pajamas and got in bed next to Tom.

"Good. Was Dawn still awake?" He asked.

"Yeah. She was waiting for me to get home," Idina said cuddling into Tom and laying her head on his chest. "What're you watching?"

"'Ridiculousness.' It's quite entertaining actually," Tom said, rubbing Idina's shoulder.

They watched the television in silence for a few minutes. Tom absentmindedly running his fingers up and down Idina's back. Idina had one hand rested on Tom's stomach and the other one playing with his hair gently. Both of them enjoying the silence. Looking up at Tom through her lashes, Idina kissed him softly, putting one hand on his cheek. When they pulled apart, Tom looked down at Idina and kissed her forehead softly before gazing into her hazel eyes.

"I love you, Idina," Tom told her truthfully.

"I love you too, Tom," Idina whispered as she laid her head back on his chest.

They stayed like that for a while before Idina passed out from exhaustion. Smiling Tom, held her close and continued to watch Ridiculousness until he too, fell asleep.

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The next morning Idina awoke to the smell of coffee and a smile grew on her face. She rolled over to get out of bed only to be pulled back by Tom. He silenced her protests by kissing her softly on the lips. Smiling gently, she cuddled into him and gently ran her fingers through his hair like she had done the previous night.

"Good morning, bartended," Tom whispered in her ear.

"Good morning, drunk-o," Idina giggled as she got out of bed. "Did you get up early and make me coffee then come back up here?"

"No, I've been up here the whole time," Tom said in a puzzled manner. "One of the girl's must've made it."

"And to whichever one did, I'm grateful," Idina stated as she finished getting ready and walked downstairs.

Turning the corner into the kitchen, Idina smiled when she saw her daughter's sitting at the table eating their breakfast before they left to school. Although becoming a mother had never been part of her life plan, she was glad she had become one. She couldn't imagine her life without her two girls. Her hand moved to her stomach as she thought of the other little one growing inside her. _Life is full of twists and turns, isn't it? _Idina asked herself before jumping when she felt two arms wrap around her. She turned around, expecting to see Tom, but instead saw the face of none other than her little sister, Cara.

"Oh my god, Cara!" Idina nearly screamed as she threw her arms around her sister. "What're you doing here?"

"Good to see you too, Dee," Cara laughed as she hugged her sister tightly.

"What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be back in Colorado teaching?" Idina demanded as she pulled away from her sister.

"I decided to take an early spring break," Cara said nonchalantly as she poured Idina a cup of coffee. "First graders are a handful. Worse than those two and Tom combined." Cara nodded towards Shelby and Dawn as she spoke.

"Those two _and _Tom? There's no way that's possible," Idina countered as she took a drink of her coffee, eye closing in bliss. "Have I ever told you that you make the best coffee I've ever had?"

"You haven't. I'm glad you think so," Cara smiled. "Any plans for today?"

"I was going to go over my lines for _If/Then _but you're here now, so that's not going to happen. And I think Tom has the day off-"

"Do I hear the voice of the lovely Cara Mentzel?" Tom's voice interrupted Idina midsentence.

He entered the kitchen with a giant grin on his face. His blue eyes were bright, as they usually were, as he swept her into a tight embrace. Cara giggled quietly as she hugged Tom back. Idina watched them as she sat on the counter top, glad that her little sister and her husband had a great relationship with each other. Tom treated Cara like he would his two sisters and Cara respects Tom like she would her parents. Cara's relationship with her nieces is amazingly strong as well.

"It's good to see you too, Tom," Cara laughed.

"How've you been, darling?" He inquired while making himself tea.

"Good. Stressed, but good," The younger brunette informed before leaning back against Idina's legs. "How about you?"

"I've been well," He replied politely. "Just dealing with your sister. She's quite a pain, you know."

"Oh, I know that better than anyone, Tom," Cara confirmed, trying to move away from her sister but failing when she wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "I had to live with her for seventeen years."

"Hey, miss, I saved your ass a couple of times when we were younger," Idina reminded Cara then looked up at Tom. "You better be nice, Thomas. Or you'll be sleeping on the couch."

"She told you," Cara jibed in a sarcastic tone, trying her hardest to stifle her laughter.

"I don't see what I did wrong," Tom bantered, playing along with the women. "I'm going to take the girls to school. Bye, darlings."

"Bye, mom. Bye, aunt Cara," Shelby and Dawn said as they gathered their things.

"Bye, girls," Idina cooed as she got off the counter and hugged both of her daughters. "Love you."

"Love you too, mom," They called back to her from outside.

After Tom and the girls left, Idina turned to look at Cara. There was a serious look in her eye. Cara knew that look and she knew it well. It was Idina's "No-nonsense" look. A look she had grown to dislike over the years. Yet the more Cara looked at her older sister, she could see an emptiness in the usually bright, alive hazel eyes and faint traces of bags under those eyes. She could tell something was up with her sister.

"Idina, what's wrong?" Cara spoke before Idina could. "You don't look like yourself."

"I haven't been getting much sleep," Idina said quickly while pouring herself another cup of coffee.

"Uh huh… That would've worked if you were performing eight shows a week and had a newborn like you did when you started "RENT." Seriously, sis, what's going on?" Cara sat at the kitchen table and was soon followed by Idina.

"I'm amazed mom didn't tell you," Idina breathed.

"Tell me what?" The young brunette demanded.

"I'm pregnant again," Idina blurted. "But it doesn't feel right this time…"

"Doesn't feel right? What do you mean?" Cara prodded gently.

"I don't know," Idina sighed. "I don't feel like I did when I had Shelby and Dawn. I feel… Empty. Like there's nothing there."

"Are you trying to say you don't think the baby is alive?" Cara said bluntly, earning a nod from her sister, which made Cara stand up. "Well let's go."

"Go? Go where?" Idina asked bewildered by her sister's sudden bluntness.

"We're taking you to the doctor's before Tom gets home so he won't ask questions," Cara stated, pulling Idina up and leading her to her car.

"Cara, I can't. Not without Tom," Idina protested.

"Well, he's not here at the moment. Call me a bitch, but we're going now so stop fighting it. I know you, Idina. If you went with Tom, you wouldn't go for days, weeks even. You'd be in denial that this could be happening to you. Don't try to deny it either, now get in the car," Cara snapped. She knew she sounded like a bitch, but she hated seeing her sister like this and she would do whatever it takes to figure out what was going on, whether Idina liked it or not.

"I hate it when you're right," Idina sighed and got into her sister's black Range Rover.

"I know. But you'll thank me later," Cara said getting in the driver's seat.

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The silence that filled the car on their way back from the hospital was deafening. The trip to the hospital had not been a fun one and the results weren't good either. Cara couldn't help but feel heartbroken for her older sister. Idina, who was normally chatty with her sister, was just staring out the window, her head resting on her fist. Cara just sighed and turned on the radio so the drive wasn't an awkward silence.

When they got back to the house, Idina got out quietly and went down to her studio. Once more, Cara sighed and walked inside. She looked at Tom who was looking intently at the stairs. He then looked at Cara who shook her head, silently telling him not to follow her. She moved into the kitchen to start making lunch. Tom followed her and sat on one of the bar stools, hands folded neatly on the table.

"Whatcha making?" He asked curiously.

"Picadillo. One of Dee's favorites," Cara replied, getting the meat out of the refrigerator.

"Sounds… Interesting," Tom mused. "Speaking of Idina, what's wrong with her? I've never seen her just go down to the basement like she did. It worries me."

"I'm going to let her tell you. It's not my place to. But I suggest letting her be alone for a while. She needs it," Cara advised while she seasoned the hamburger. "Go mow the lawn or something useful."

"You're just like your sister," Tom chuckled. "Demanding and beautiful."

"Don't forget sassy. Or have you not been on that side of her?"

"Oh, I've been on that side of her more than I can count," Tom got up. "I'll be outside doing some yard work."

"Have fun," Cara called to him when he went outside.

She kept cooking for the next fifteen minutes before sighing deeply and going downstairs. As she went downstairs she heard Idina playing the piano softly, something she usually didn't do unless she was rehearsing or helping Shelby with her vocals. And Cara knew that neither of those were an option at the moment. She very quietly walked over to the room and gently pushed open the cracked door. Idina didn't notice her sister until Cara sat on the bench next to her. Cara's heart broke when Idina looked up at her and her eyes were bloodshot from crying. She pulled her sister into her arms and held her close while she cried.

"I can't believe my baby is dead, Cara…" Idina sobbed into her sister's shoulder.

"I can't either, Dee," Cara murmured. "I think you need to tell Tom though… I'll be right there with you when you do. You won't go through this alone, sis."

"Tomorrow… I'll tell him tomorrow…" Idina whispered.

"Dee, you need to stay strong. Shelby and Dawn need you. You need to focus on _If/Then," _Cara tilted Idina's chin up and wiped away her tears with her thumb. "Now let's go eat lunch then we can come back down here and I'll help you with your music.

"Since when do you know about music?" Idina teased.

"I don't. But I can play piano that way you can focus on singing," Cara bantered back.

Idina shook her head and stood up, taking Cara's hand. Cara laced their fingers and squeezed her sister's hand, smiling when Idina squeezed back. They walked upstairs, hands still linked. Even though Idina didn't say it out loud, Cara knew that she was grateful that her little sister made her go to the doctor today. _We're going to get through this, Dee. I promise, _Cara thought as they started to eat lunch.


	14. Chapter 12

Tom got home and saw that Cara's car was still in the driveway. He parked the Suburban in the driveway and unloaded the groceries. He walked into the house and went to the kitchen. Cara and Idina were sitting on the couch in the living room talking. Tom noticed that Idina's eyes were red and she looked like she had been crying, hard. Tom opened up the pantry door and put the groceries away. Cara came in to clean up their lunch mess and told Tom to go talk to her.

"Hey darling, what's wrong?" He said, sitting down next to her on the couch.

She leaned into him and started crying. Tom wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. He gently kissed her forehead and asked her again.

"You know, you can tell me what happened." He said, looking her in the eyes.

"Tom, I'm so sorry." She said.

"What? Why are you sorry?" He asked her.

"The baby... I had a miscarriage." She said, starting to cry again.

"Oh my goodness, sweetie, it's going to be alright. We can get through this together alright?"

"You are not mad? I thought you would be mad." She said, looking at him.

"Darling, I am not mad. Just sad for you. Well... us." He said, wrapping her into another hug. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes.

Cara finished her cleaning and left. Tom and Idina sat on the couch and turned on the TV. Tom flipped through the channels and found the Avengers on the movie channel. Tom walked into the kitchen and made a bowl of popcorn and grabbed them two glasses of Whiskey on the rocks. He walked back in, juggling the two glasses and the massive bowl of popcorn.

"Need some help there dear?" Idina asked, standing up to grab the bowl of popcorn and her drink from his hand.

"Thanks Darling. I probably would have dropped it!" He said, chuckling.

Time flew by and the movie was over in a flash. It was time to get the girls from school, but Idina made other arrangements. Tom stood up to leave and Idina told him that Tracie was picking the girls up to have a girl's day out. Just to give Tom and Idina a relaxing day with no kids.

"Well in that case..." He said, plugging his phone into the Auxiliary cable.

"What song are you thinking?" Idina said, standing up and walking towards Tom.

I know, that the Bridges that I've burned along the way...

Lady Antebellum's song, Can't Take My Eyes Off You started to play over the speakers in the living room. Tom grabbed Idina's hands and they danced around the room. Tom wrapped her into a hug and pulled her closer to his chest. They swayed side to side to the beat. Once the song was finished, he leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips.

"I love you darling." He said.

"I love you too." She said back.

"How about we take the girls out to dinner tonight. Maybe go and see a movie? It is Friday night and they don't have school tomorrow." He said, walking into the kitchen to refill his glass of whiskey. He knew that she was going to be surprised at the fact that they were not going to dinner. Instead, he had acquired four front row tickets to the Lady Antebellum concert at the fairgrounds.

"Sure! Let me go change and I will call Tracie." Idina said, heading into the bedroom. She grabbed her phone, dialed Tracie's number, and stood in front of her closet looking for something to wear.

"Hey Girl!" Tracie said over the phone, "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. Just looking for a change of clothes. Tom and I were thinking about taking the girls out to dinner and maybe catch a movie. Would you be able to swing them by?" Idina asked, setting her clothes down on the bed and sitting down on the couch in the room.

"Sure honey. We are heading out the door as we speak." Tracie said.

"Alrighty. See you soon!" Idina said, ending the call. She changed her clothes and redid her makeup and brushed her hair. Tom came in and changed as well.

The girls got home about 5 minutes later, set their bags in their rooms, and quickly changed. Tracie had told them about the idea on the way to their house. Tom and Idina talked to Tracie while the girls were getting ready.

"I hope Dawn and Shelby were good for you." Tom said to Tracie while walking into the kitchen.

"Oh of course they were! Chelsea helped them with their homework so that is all done." Tracie said, following Tom into the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

"So, what is the real reason for the family outing." Tracie said, looking at Tom.

"Well... Idina had a miscarriage. She was down in a slump, so I decided to take her and the girls out to dinner and to see a movie, just to cheer her up and have a family night." He said, putting his glass in the sink and following Tracie out into the living room. By then, the girls were ready to go.

"Alrighty! You two ready?" Idina said, grabbing her purse. "Thanks again for watching the girls earlier Tracie."

"No problem! Let me know if you ever need me to watch them again." She said following the family out the door and onto the front porch.

"Tom, this is not the way to the restaurant." Idina said, looking at him.

"Oh, I must've taken a wrong turn." He said, turning the Suburban into the fairgrounds parking lot. "How about some fun instead."

"The fair?" She replied.

"Of course! I figured the girls would like it. Plus, I got a surprise for you."

"Oh, really? A surprise?" She asked, looking back at him.

"Yeah. I will tell you when we get inside the fair." He said, parking the car and getting out.

Idina and the girls got out of the car and walked alongside Tom towards the fair entrance. Tom pulled out his fair tickets and showed them to the lady at the booth. She took them and gave them all wristbands. The concert didn't start for another 2 hours, so they played games and rode the rides. They eventually made their way over to the stands and waited in line.

"Why are we here?" Idina said, looking at her husband.

"I wanted to surprise you with this." He said, handing her the envelope.

She opened it up and pulled out the tickets, a shocked look was on her face. She wrapped Tom in a hug and said, "Thanks honey. I cannot wait to see them perform!"

Little did she know that he also had backstage passes. They took their seats just a couple of minutes before the band came on. The crowd became pumped up as Hilary began to sing and talk to them. Idina leaned into Tom, a hand unconsciously resting on her stomach. He gently kissed the side of her head and put his hand over hers. They watched the remainder of the show sitting just like that. Idina's mind kept wandering to the two girls sitting next to her. They still had to tell them about the miscarriage. Tom, as if sensing her worry, kissed her cheek and looked at her.

"Stop worrying, darling," He whispered in her ear. "We'll tell them later."

Idina merely nodded. Just a Kiss was one of the first couple of songs. Tom looked down at Idnia and squeezed her hand, receiving a smile from her. A smile full of love and happiness. When the show was over, Idina got up when the band left the stage. Tom grabbed her hand and pulled her back. She looked up at him, confused. Shelby and Dawn watched their parents.

"Tom, it's late. We should get home," Idina suggested, her tone tired.

"We will. After we go meet the band," He smiled that smile that Idina loved so much.

Without thinking, she leaned up and kissed her chastely on the lips. He kissed her back and led them to the back of the stage. He showed the passes to the guards that were blocking the door. They let them in without any further questions. Hilary turned around and smiled, taking in the sight of the family in front of her.


	15. Note from the Author

Hey, guys! Idinaismyqueen here! I am so so so so so sorry that I haven't updated yet! This summer was super busy with work then going to Kentucky for a week with Lokiisthedoctor the coming home to go back to work. I thought I would've had more inspiration to write this after we actually went to see Idina in concert or after I saw Wicked but I just didn't have the energy to write. I have tons of ideas floating around in my head and I promise that the chapter should be up soon. I've been writing it on and off. But school has started yet again. It's my senior year and it isn't too stressful but of course it's only the 3rd week of school so teachers haven't started being jerks yet. I'm also in the marching band so that will take up a lot of time in my schedule. To make it up to you guys, I'm going to make the next chapter extra-long. There's going to be some emotional, shocking, funny, serious, and light-hearted times in the next chapter. Again, I am so sorry! Can we also mention that I've had the worst case of writer's block? Not just with this story but with the individual book that I've been writing as well. They say the best cure for writer's block is to write so I might start a little side story with Shelby, like Lokiisthedoctor did with Dawn. If you guys want me to do that and publish it on her, just say so and I'll do it! But on that note, I'm going to go off and write Just a Kiss before all of you guys kill me! Once again, I am so sorry and I hope the next chapter makes up for it. Lots of love.

~Idinaismyqueen


	16. Chapter 13

**Hey, guys! Look! Finally the chapter is up! I'm so sorry but somebody *glares at LokiistheDoctor* was a bully and finally made me write it. I made it extra-long for you guys because it's taken so long. And I included two songs, both duets in this chapter as well. If you would like to see the performances, just YouTube "Next To Me" and "You and I/You and I" both of them the Glee versions. I tried to make them as close to the scenes in the show as possible but couldn't get it 100%. I hope you guys like this chapter. Please don't forget to leave a review and let us know what you would like to see from Tom and Idina. Also, LokiistheDoctor and I are both writing spin-offs from this! Mine is based around Shelby and hers is based around Dawn. If you guys wants us to post those, let us know! Thank you guys from sticking with us and being patient with us! It means a lot! Anyway… Enjoy. –IdinaismyQueen**

Tom, Idina, and the girls got home late that night after meeting Lady Antebellum. They sat around for about an hour and a half just talking. Idina and Hilary had an instant connection due to them both being singers/performers. Hilary was also expecting her first child. Idina had told her all of her worries when she was pregnant with Dawn and told Hilary not to stress too much. She told her that everything would come naturally to her. This seem to have calmed Hilary down. They finally left after Idina noticed that Shelby and Dawn were sitting away from the adults, leaning against each other. Their eyes were droopy and Shelby yawned, trying to hide it from her mother. Shaking her head, Idina walked over to them and sat down with them. In all honesty, she was exhausted as well. It had been a long day after she and Cara had gotten back from the hospital.

"How much longer is dad going to be?" Dawn asked, yawning once more.

"I don't know, sweetheart," Idina replied tiredly as she leaned her head back against the wall. "Hopefully soon. But you know your father, he'll talk all night."

A half hour later, Tom walked over to them and they were on their way home. Both Dawn and Shelby fell asleep in the back of the Suburban. When they pulled into the driveway, Idina gently shook the girls' shoulders to wake them up. They went up to their rooms without a fuss. With a heavy sigh, Idina made her way into the house. She was greeted with Tom handing her a glass of whiskey on the rocks. She took it gratefully before kissing him softly.

"Thanks," She murmured. She moved over to the couch and sat down. "I needed this."

"I'm sorry we stayed out so long, darling," He said, sitting next to her. "I know the girls have school in the morning and it's been a long day for you."

Idina took a drink of her whiskey as she leaned forward. Tom began to rub her back soothingly which caused Idina to close her eyes. He began to knead all the knots out of her back and shoulders. Idina took another drink of her whiskey, letting out a content sigh. She set the glass on the table and leaned into Tom, resting her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head before resting his chin on top of her head. Idina's eyes closed as, once again, she sighed contently.

"Alright, you two," Cara's voice caused Idina to open her eyes. "Tom, I need to steal my sister away from you."

"Fight me," He replied, putting an arm around Idina possessively. "Because I'm not giving her up."

"She was mine first, butthead," Cara smiled, walking over to them. "She and I have things to discuss."

"We do?" Idina asked.

"We do," Cara confirmed.

Idina got up to comply with Cara's wishes only to be pulled back by Tom. Raising an eyebrow that's very similar to her sister's, Cara walked over to them. Without warning, Cara started to tickle Tom, who in return started to squirm and loosened his hold on Idina long enough for Cara to pull her sister to her. She then stuck her tongue out at Tom as a five year old would. Tom returned the gesture. Rolling her eyes, Cara dragged her sister down to her studio and locked the door.

"What's so important that it couldn't wait until tomorrow morning, Cara?" Idina asked.

"Is it too much to want to spend some time with you?" The younger Menzel countered. "I know you need girl time. Sister time."

"You can read me like a book," Idina sighed and sat at her desk. "I hate it sometimes."

"I know you do." Cara sat on the couch next to the bookcase full of music. "How was everything after you told Tom?"

"He actually took it really well…" Idina admitted. "Way better than I expected."

"Good. And the girls?" The younger sister prodded.

"I have yet to tell them, Cara. I know they're old enough to understand. But I don't want them to worry about me," Idina bit her lip. "Especially Shelby. She was the first one to know that I was pregnant and you know how attached she is to me."

"Idina, you can't hide this from them forever. Try telling Dawn first. She's probably going to accept it a lot better than Shelby will. We both know that Shelbs has your temper."

"I refuse to admit you're right," Idina grumbled, getting up. "I'm going to see if Dawn is still awake. If you still want to have girl time, I'll meet you in the movie room."

"No, back here. I want to help you with your _If/Then_ stuff."

"Okay then… I'll be back down in a bit," Idina said and left the room.

She walked up two flights of stairs to get to her daughter's rooms. Reaching Dawn's door, she gently knocked before entering. Dawn sat on her bed, once again on her laptop, headphones in her ears. She looked up when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Seeing that it was her mother, she shut her laptop and set it aside. Dawn watched her mother closely as Idina sat on the edge of the bed, facing her daughter.

"I'm surprised you're still awake," Idina said, pulling a leg up to her chest.

"I was just working on something. I was going to go to bed soon anyway…" Dawn yawned after she spoke.

"Well, I need to tell you something, honey," Idina started uneasily.

"What is it, mom? Is everything okay?" Dawn asked quickly.

"Honestly, no. I don't know if your dad told you, but I'm pregnant…" Idina murmured softly.

"You are?" Dawn's voice was full of shock. "Since when?"

"Two months," Idina took one of Dawn's hands. "But I won't be having this baby."

"You're having an abortion?" Dawn exclaimed, backing away from her mother. "What's wrong with you? I thought you loved kids!"

"Sweetheart, calm down," Idina rushed to calm her daughter down.

"No! I can't believe you would do that!" Dawn yelled.

"Dawn Clara, I'm not getting an abortion!" Idina's voice raised enough to get Dawn to be quiet. "I had a miscarriage."

"Oh…" The younger girl cast her eyes down. "I'm sorry, mom… I should've listened before I assumed things."

"It's okay." Idina held her arms open and smiled when Dawn moved into them. "Don't tell your sister."

"I won't," Dawn promised, leaning her head on Idina's shoulder. "I'm sorry about your miscarriage… When did you find out?"

"Today. Your Aunt Cara made me go. I didn't want to, but I'm glad she made me," Idina admitted. "But now you need to go to bed since you have school in the morning, okay?"

Dawn nodded and crawled under the covers. Leaning over, Idina kissed Dawn's forehead and brushed her blonde hair out of her face. Dawn smiled up at her mother. Idina smiled back and got up. She moved to the door and shut off the lights.

"Goodnight, baby," Idina said. "I love you."

"I love you, too, mom," Dawn yawned. "Goodnight."

With that Idina left the room. She made her way down to her studio in the basement. As she opened the door, she was surprised to see Shelby and Cara sitting at the piano together. Cara was playing the piano softly and Shelby was writing something on a piece of paper. Idina watched them from the doorway, watching the two of them interact. She stood like that for a few minutes, just watching them, neither of them noticing Idina. That was until she cleared her throat, causing both of them to look up at her. Shelby's eyes instantly dropped to the ground because she knew that she wasn't supposed to be down there. Cara glanced at her sister and shook her head, silently telling her older sister not to scold her youngest daughter. Nodding, Idina moved into the room and stood next to the baby Grand Piano. She placed a hand on top of her beloved piano.

"Mom, I know I-" Shelby began.

"Whatever your reason for staying up, I assume it's a good one. No need to apologize," Idina cut her off. "Besides, your Aunt Cara would've sent you to your room if it wasn't important too."

Shelby stared at her mother in shock.

"Why are you still up, Shelby?" Idina asked.

"I'm writing a song. And I needed Aunt Cara's help," Shelby explained.

"Sixteen years old and you're writing a song? I'm impressed," Idina said. "How exactly is your non-musically talented aunt is helping you?"

"Hey, I am not non-musically talented!" Cara snapped. "Mom forced me to take piano lessons."

"Forced. Key word," Idina raised an eyebrow at her sister. "But you did become a phenomenal player. I'll give you that."

"I'm glad you think so," Cara chuckled.  
"So what is it you're working on, baby girl?" Idina leaned against her piano and looked at her youngest daughter.

"A song," Shelby replied.

"Can I hear it?" Idina asked.

"No. It's a surprise," The youngest Menzel responded. "You'll hear it when it's done. But I think I should go to bed. I'll let you guys have some time alone."

"That's sweet of you," Cara smiled down at her niece. "But I think you're mom needs to talk to you about something."

Idina gave Cara a bewildered look. Her facial expression asking Cara what the hell she was doing. She wasn't ready to tell Shelby about the miscarriage yet. Especially not after Dawn's reaction to it. The girl thought she was having an abortion for goodness sake! Shelby's reaction was going to be ten times worse just because of how protective she is over her mother. For some odd reason when they were young, both girls attached themselves solely to one of their parents. And of course it was the parent that they were just like. Although, both girls were still close with both of their parents but they preferred to go to one over the other when it comes to their problems. Shelby to Idina, Dawn to Tom.

"Cara, I really think that it can wait until tomorrow after school. It's twelve forty-five in the morning. She needs to get to bed," Idina's voice hardened. "C'mon, Shelby."

Knowing not to argue with her mother, Shelby got up and grabbed the papers she had been writing on earlier. She gave her aunt a hug and a kiss to the cheek then went upstairs. Idina gave Cara a hard look before following her daughter. She had made it a nightly routine since the girls had moved into their own rooms to tuck them in. It didn't matter to her or them that they were seventeen and sixteen. It had been a routine for as long as they can remember. Sometimes they took that opportunity to tell their mother the problems they were having at school or how their day went or whatever was on their mind. Most teenagers don't have a relationship with their parents like Dawn and Shelby have with theirs and that made them especially grateful.

Shelby walked into her bathroom and changed into sweats and a tank top to sleep in. She proceeded to brush her teeth before crawling into bed. Not long after, Idina entered the room and sat on the edge of the bed. The younger brunette looked up at her mother and smiled. Idina smiled back before brushing hair out of Shelby's face. Shelby moved her head into her mother's lap. Immediately Idina started to stroke her daughter's hair. They sat like that for fifteen minutes.

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" Idina asked gently.

"Nothing. I'm just tired," Just as she said that, a yawn escaped her mouth. "What was it that Aunt Cara said you needed to talk to me about?"

"It's nothing. We'll deal with it when you get home tomorrow, okay?" Idina continued to stroke her daughter's hair.

"Mom, I don't want to go to public school anymore," Shelby murmured almost too low for her mother to hear.

"Why not? Is everything okay?" Idina went into mama bear mode.

"Everything's fine but I feel like I'm just really stressed with all of my classes and my teachers aren't exactly helpful. I feel like I'm behind everybody else and that I'm having a harder time understanding it than everyone else."

"It's okay, baby," Idina whispered soothingly. "Let me talk to your dad about it but I'm sure he won't have a problem with it, okay?"

"Okay…" Shelby yawned again. Her eyes began to droop which caused Idina to laugh quietly.

"I think you should to go bed, baby girl," Idina continued to brush her hand through her daughter's hair.

"I will. Goodnight, mom," Shelby murmured, looking up at her mother. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Shelby. Goodnight," With a kiss to the forehead, Idina got up and shut the lights off in the room and shut the door before going to her own bedroom to change.

Entering the room she saw Tom lying in bed, reading a book. No doubt Shakespeare. With a shake of her head, Idina changed into sweats and a tank top. Tom watched her carefully. As she turned around, she saw him and smiled. She walked over to him and sat on the edge of the bed by him. He placed a hand on her leg, rubbing it with his thumb. Idina put her hand over his, gently squeezing it.

"I'm going to go hang out with Cara for a little bit," Idina said.

"But, Idina," Tom whined, grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers.

"Nope. No whining," She put a finger over his lips. "I'll be up later."

She gave him a kiss on the lips then got up and left the room. Upon entering the kitchen to make coffee, something inside of her broke. Tears started streaming down her face before she knew it was happening. Jesus Christ, what was happening with her life? Constantly fighting with Tom, having a miscarriage, her kids asking if she and Tom were going to get a divorce all the time… She put her hands on the counter to support herself. A million thoughts were running through her head as she stood there. Yet her mind couldn't focus on just one. Just as quickly as she broke down, she pulled herself back together. She had to remain strong for her family.

"You okay, Idina?" Cara's voice caused Idina to jump.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking," Idina turned around to face her sister. "Want any coffee before I decide to kill you?"

"Kill me? What did I do?" Cara asked innocently.

"I told you that I would talk to Shelby tomorrow about the whole miscarriage situation, but you had to open your mouth about it," Idina's voice was low.

"I'm sorry, Dee. I wasn't thinking," Cara sighed.

"Obviously," Idina growled, moving to pour herself and Cara some coffee.

"You had a miscarriage?" Shelby's voice caused both women to turn around in pure terror. Cara just bit her lip. Idina stared at her daughter like a deer caught in headlights. Nobody moved.

"Mom?" Shelby's voice was quiet and was that hurt underlying the shock? Idina couldn't be sure.

"Go up to your room, baby," Idina finally managed to find her voice. "I'll be up there in a minute to explain all of this to you."

"Okay…" Shelby said uneasily. "Can you bring some water up for me?"

"Of course. Now go on," Her mother directed. Shelby went back up to her room without another word. Idina moved to the refrigerator to get her daughter a bottle of water. Cara watched her silently. Inside she felt guilty about even mentioning it. It wasn't as if her sister was already stressed out enough about everything else going on in her life.

"Idina-" Cara started.

"I'll talk to you in the morning, Cara," Idina acknowledged her sister. "Right now I need to go deal with my daughter. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Dee," Cara sighed as her sister walked back upstairs. She finished her coffee before going to the spare bedroom to turn in for the night.

Upstairs Idina knocked on Shelby's door softly then let herself into the room. Her daughter was writing in a notebook. By the looks of it, the same one that she had been writing in early. Shelby looked up as her mother sat on the edge of the bed. She gratefully took the water bottle that was offered to her. She took the cap off and took a drink before looking at her mother. Idina's gaze was wandering around Shelby's room. The walls were decorated with various Broadway playbills and posters. Idina couldn't help but smile as her gaze landed on the original Broadway poster for Rent. The role she had gotten after she had had Dawn.

"Mom?" Shelby called quietly.

"Yes?" Idina shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"What's this about you having a miscarriage? Did you lose the baby?" Shelby questioned.

"I did, Shelby," Idina's voice cracked. "I found out this morning while you and your sister were at school. Your aunt forced me to go."

"I'm so sorry, momma," Shelby enveloped her mother into a tight hug that she knew her mother needed. "Everything is going to be okay. I promise."

"For being only sixteen, you're awfully sure of things," Idina laughed quietly. "I told your sister about this earlier."

"You told her before you told me?" Shelby asked.

"Yes. And she lost it. She thought I was going to have an abortion," Idina winced at the painful memory.

"An abortion?" Shelby screeched. "Is she stupid?"

"Hey, none of that now," Idina scolded. "Your sister isn't stupid and you know that. I think it was just the first thing that popped into her head. Having a miscarriage must've slipped her mind. You're taking this a lot better than I expected you to."

"Did you expect screaming and yelling?" Shelby inquired.

"I did actually," Idina replied, earning a small laugh from her daughter.

"That would probably be the case on a normal day but I don't want to stress you out more than you already are," Her daughter explained. "Have you talked to dad?"

"No, but I'm going to," The older brunette promised. "What were you working on when I walked in?"

"My song," Shelby glanced at the notebook. "I don't know how you wrote an entire album, mostly by yourself."

"Song writing is a challenge. You have to be patient and committed," Idina explained. "You have to write about something that you really love and are passionate about. What's your song about?"

"A boy," Shelby said shyly, a blush creeping on her cheeks.

"Oh? Does somebody have a little crush?" Idina teased, nudging Shelby with her elbow.

"Not entirely… We've been dating since January…" Shelby confessed, afraid of her mother's reaction.

"Since January?" Idina's eyebrow raised. "And I haven't heard a single thing about said guy?"

"I was afraid you and dad would overreact. Especially dad. You know how he can be," Shelby didn't look at her mother.

"Sweetheart, you could've told me. I don't care if you date, as long as he doesn't smoke, drink, or hurt you," Idina soothed, rubbing her daughter's knee. "What's his name?"

"Cameron," Shelby smiled, pleased that her mother actually took an interest in her boyfriend. "He plays basketball and he's in musical theatre. He's completely in love with you too."

"Oh, he is?" Idina's eyebrow raised once more as Shelby giggled.

"Yep. He said he hasn't seen anybody on Broadway that can even touch your talent," Shelby enlightened Idina. "Not even Babs."

"He sounds incredibly sweet," Idina decided. "Maybe you can invite him over for dinner one night?"

"Please!" Shelby begged.

"Ask him when he's free one night and he can come home after drama practice. How does that sound?" Idina smirked as Shelby threw her arms around her once again.

"You're the best, mom," Shelby exclaimed.

"And you're the best daughter. But no more keeping secrets like that," Idina once more scolded. "You know I don't tolerate that."

"I'm sorry, mom," Shelby apologized.

"It's forgiven. Now get into bed. You don't want to be late for school in the morning." Idina looked at the clock. 1:58am. Great. Now they were both going to be tired in the morning. Shelby groaned but got under the covers once more that night and looked at her mother.

"Sing to me?" She asked.

"Of course, baby," Idina started to run her fingers through Shelby's hair, knowing the girl would fall asleep faster.

"_I dreamed a dream in times gone by,_

_When hope was high and life worth living,_

_I dreamed that love would never die,_

_I dreamed that God would be forgiving,_

_Then I was young and unafraid,_

_And dreams were made and used and wasted,_

_There was no ransom to be paid,_

_No song unsung, no wine untasted."_

By the time Idina had finished the first verse, Shelby was out cold. Slowly getting up she once again shut off the lights and shut the door. She made her way up to her room. To her surprise, Tom was still awake. He looked at her when she closed the door and made her way over to her side of the bed. She climbed in and cuddled into his side. Immediately he put an arm around her and set his book down.

"Finally done running around?" He teased.

"That sister of mine is going to be the death of me," Idina muttered. "I was going to be back sooner but Shelby overheard us talking about the miscarriage in the kitchen. So I had to go explain what happened to her then we started talking about her boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Tom stopped Idina. "Since when does our daughter have a boyfriend?"

"Since January apparently. His name is Cameron. Varsity basketball star and he's in theatre with Shelby," Idina explained. Tom's arm tightened around her. "Easy there, Tom. It's okay. She's sixteen."

"She's not old enough to have a boyfriend," He glanced down at Idina.

"She's plenty old enough, Tom," Idina replied dryly. "But I need to talk to you about something else."

"And what would that be?" He asked, rubbing her arm.

"Shelby wants to be homeschooled. She says she's struggling to understand the content and she's really stressed out about it," Idina explained. "I'm okay with it as long as you are."

"If she's having trouble then I'm okay with it. As long as we get her a good teacher," He agreed.

"Well, duh, Captain Obvious," Idina sassed back.

He leaned down and captured her lips with his. She kissed him back softly, smiling against his lips as he ran a hand along her thigh. Before he could advance any further, however, she cut him off. Tom uttered a complaint that was quickly silenced by Idina pressing her lips against his.

"No, Thomas William," Idina scolded, resting her head on his chest.

"But, Idina Kim," Tom whined while looking down at her.

"No," Her voice was firm. "It's 2:22 in the morning and I need to be up to take the girls to school."

"Don't worry about taking them in. I'll do it," Tom offered. "Get as much rest as you can."

"You're the sweetest," Idina smiled, her eyes closing slowly.

"Goodnight, darling. I love you," Tom leaned down to kiss her hair, smiling as Idina muttered a reply before sleep overtook her body. He picked his book up again and started reading. All the while, rubbing her back gently.

When Idina awoke the next morning, she groaned. Rolling away from Tom, she looked at the clock. 7:47am. Her daughter's would be waking up to go to school in about forty-five minutes. That gave her enough time to shower and have a little time to herself. She drug herself out of the bed with a great effort. She went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. After changing, she sauntered down to the kitchen. To her surprise, Cara was making breakfast. The younger Menzel greeted her with a cup of coffee and a kiss to the cheek.

"Good morning, sister," Cara smiled.

"Morning, Cara," Idina took a drink of her coffee, eyes closing in pure bliss. "What's the occasion?"

"Just felt like making you guys breakfast," Cara shrugged. "Figured it would take a little weight off your shoulders. Listen, Dee, I'm sorry about last night."

"Don't worry about it, Cara," Idina sighed, not wanting to deal with that this early in the morning. "It's forgiven. Shelby didn't have a blowup like I thought she would. Everything is all right."

Cara didn't look convinced so Idina wrapped her sister in a tight hug, squeezing her. Cara melted into the hug, resting her chin on her sister's shoulder. Both women closed their eyes, enjoying the moment. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes but were interrupted by the smoke detector going off. Whatever Cara had been cooking was now burned and inedible. Unable to help herself, Idina laughed which earned her a glare from Cara. Unfortunately for Cara, the glare wasn't as scary as Idina's.

"Shut up. This is your fault," Cara accused.

"I take no blame for _you _burning the French toast," Idina teased, sitting on a bar stool. "What are your plans for today?"

"To help you with If/Then," Cara didn't look up at her sister.

"Oh, really?" Idina looked up at her sister in surprised. "You don't need to."

"I want to. I figure that it's awkward rehearsing by yourself," Cara pointed out.

"Cara, I don't even have the part," Idina mused.

"Actually you do," Cara spilled. "Brian told me when I first got into town."

"And you didn't tell me?" Idina shrieked.

"He wouldn't let me!" Cara giggled as her sister flung herself into her arms. "Why do you think I've been offering to help you out so much? I couldn't keep it from you for too long, so I dropped subtle hints. Apparently you weren't paying _that _much attention."

"Oh, my god, Cara," Idina practically fainted. "I can't believe it…"

"Well you better. And you better get that butt of yours into your studio downstairs to learn your lines," Cara ordered.

"Fine," Idina dramatically stormed down to the basement, causing Cara to laugh.

Cara and Idina had been running Idina's lines for If/Then for two hours when a knock at the door interrupted them. Idina told whoever it was to come in. Shelby opened the door and shut it. She went over to the couch and sat down next to her aunt. Idina grabbed the script that Cara had and put it back with the other in the manila envelope. She sat on top of her desk and looked at her daughter.

"Everything okay, Shelbs?" Idina asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Shelby replied slightly confused. "I can't spend time with my aunt and my mom?"

"Yeah, she can't spend time with us, Dee?" Cara jibed which earned her a glare from Idina.

"I never said that. I was just asking if anything was wrong. She usually just walks in. She hardly ever knocks," Idina explained.

"I didn't want to interrupt anything," Shelby said.

"Cara make yourself useful. 'Next to Me' in B flat," Idina got up and stood at the piano, followed closely by Shelby who stood across the piano from her mother. Cara moved to the piano and started to play. Idina started to sing,

"_You won't find him drinking on the tables,_

_Rolling dice or staying out 'till three._

_You won't ever find him being unfaithful,_

_You will find him, you'll find him next to me."_

Shelby smiled at her mother and began to sing her part.

"_You won't find him trying to chase the Devil, _

_For money, fame, for power, out of grief._

_You won't ever find him where the rest go,_

_You will find him, you'll find him next to me._

_Next to me, ooooh."_

"_Next to me, ooooh," _Idina mimicked before they harmonized and Shelby took over the next verse.

"_When the money's spent and all my friends have vanished_

_And I can't seem to find no help or love for free."_

"_I know there's no need for me to panic,_

'_Cause I'll find him, I'll find him next to me." _Idina looked at Cara and smiled.

"_Oh, the skies are gray and all the doors are closing," _Shelby walked over to stand next to Idina. They stood shoulder to shoulder.

"_And the rising pressure makes it hard to breathe," _Idina sang.

"_Hard to breathe," _Shelby sang in cannon.

"_When all I need is a hand to stop the tears from falling," _They sang together. "_I will find him, I'll find him next to me."_

"_Next to me," _Shelby took over, her mother echoed her. "_Ooooh. I will find him, I'll find him next to me."_

"_When the end has come and buildings falling down fast," _Shelby walked away from the piano.

"_When we spoilt the land and dried up all the sea," _Idina turned to face Shelby, a hand resting on the piano.

"_When everyone has lost their heads around us," _Shelby turned to look at Idina then walked back over to the piano. She stood in front of her mother.

"_You will find him, you'll find him next to me," _They harmonized once again before finishing the song together. "_Next to me, oooh, next to me, yeah…"_

Idina enveloped Shelby into a tight hug. She then looked down at Cara, kissing her on the head. Cara laughed and got up to hug both of them. Shelby clung to her aunt, keeping an arm wrapped around her and resting her head on her shoulder when they pulled apart. Idina smiled at both of them.

"Wow, you two," Cara said, blown away. "I knew you were both good but that was phenomenal. Shelby, you've gotten so much better and, Idina. Well, you're incredible just like always."

"Thank you, Aunt Cara," Shelby giggled, smiling up at her aunt. "I guess mom was pretty good, too."

Cara and Shelby laughed when they hear Idina groan.

"I swear, you two, Dawn, and Tom's life mission is to annoy me," Idina complained. "Now let's go out for food. I'm starved since someone," She pointedly looked at Cara. "Only gave me coffee this morning."

"You're so needy," Cara rolled her eyes. "But your mother is right. Let's go."

The three of them walked upstairs and went out to Idina's beloved Mustang.

When they got back, a black 2014 Ford Mustang sat in the driveway. Cara and Idina immediately looked at each other. Why on earth was their mother here? Shelby watched her mother and aunt but didn't ask any questions. They all got out of the car, making their way into the house. Helene Menzel sat on the couch with Tom. It looked like they were drinking tea. Not really a surprise there. It was Tom after all. Tom and Helene looked up when the sisters and Shelby walked into the room. A smile graced Tom's lips when he saw his wife. Helene stood up and walked over to her daughters. They both greeted her with a kiss to the cheek. Shelby just watched them. She and her grandmother didn't have a very good relationship. Not after Helene told her granddaughter she should move her sights to a "better career path." Her reasoning being she didn't want Shelby to be a shadow of her mother and only get famous because of her mother.

"My darling daughters," Helene's Long Island accent was soft as she greeted her daughters.

"Hi, mom," Cara said back sweetly while Idina only acknowledged her with a nod.

Idina moved over to Tom, sitting next to him. Shelby moved to the recliner in the corner, scratching behind Fiyero's ears when he came over to her. Helene and Cara sat next to each other on the loveseat. Nobody spoke for a few minutes, the only noises coming from Fiyero's heavy breathing from where he sat next to Shelby. Tom leaned down and whispered into Idina's ear. Her eyes grew wide. She shook her head.

"Aww, why not, love?" Tom asked, a whine in his voice.

"Because I doubt they would want to hear that," Idina looked at Cara and Helene.

"Hear what?" Cara asked.

"Tom wants to sing for you guys," Idina explained.

"Oh, go right ahead, Idina," Helene clasped her hands together. "We don't mind."

"Yeah," Cara agreed. "I don't actually believe that Tom has as good as a voice as you say he does. He probably sounds like a dying car."

Tom put a hand over his heart feigning offense at Cara's words. He got up to get his acoustic guitar. Idina rolled her eyes when he started strumming the chords. She stood up, winking at Shelby as she started to sing.

"_It's been a long time since I came around,_

_Been a long time but I'm back in town,_

_This time I'm not leaving without you," _The lyrics came to Idina with ease.

"_Just you and I,_

_Sharing our love together,_

_And I know in time,_

_We'll build the dreams we treasure,_

_We'll be all right, just you and I." _Tom's smooth voice fit Idina's perfectly.

"_Something, something about this place," _Idina moved over to the piano and started to play it.

"_Just you and_

_Just you and I," _Tom stood next to the piano, still playing his guitar.

"_Something 'bout lonely night and my lipstick on you face," _Idina winked at Tom.

"_You and I."_

"_Something, something about my cool London guy," _Tom laughed as Idina changed the words from 'Nebraska' to 'London'.

"_Yeah, something about, baby, you and I," _Their voices flowed together.

"_You and I," _Tom sang.

"_You and I," _Idina sang back.

"_Sharing our love together," _They looked up at each other.

"_And I know in time," _Tom kept his eyes on his wife.

"_And I know in time," _Idina echoed.

"_We'll build the dreams we treasure,_

_We'll be all right, just you and I," _Idina stood up from the piano. Shelby moved over and took over her mother's place. "_Something, something about this place."_

"_Just you and_

_Just you and I," _Tom repeated.

"_Something 'bout lonely night and my lipstick on your face," _They once again resonated together.

"_Just you and I."_ Tom leaned back against the wall.

"_Something, something about my cool London guy," _Idina rolled her eyes while she looked at Tom.

"_You and I."_

"_Yeah, something about, baby, you and I," _Idina dared to glance at her mother and was delighted to see a smile on her face. She then looked at Tom as they continued together."_Oh, you and I, remember our first embrace. _

_That smile that was on your face, the promises that we made. _

_And now, your love is my reward,_

_And I love you even more_

_Than I ever did before._

_Something, something about this place."_

"_Just you and_

_Just you and I," _Tom tapped his foot on the carpet.

"_Something 'bout lonely nights and my lipstick on your face," _The coupe smiled widely at each other.

"_You and I."_

"_Something, something about my cool London guy."_

"_You and I."_

"_Just dreams of," _Tom looked at Shelby.

"_From London," _Idina sang.

"_From London," _Tom countered.

"_From London, London," _Idina's voice took it up an octave then dropped back down to harmonize with Tom's. There was more passion in her voice now as she stared at her husband.

"_I love you,_

_You, you, and I_

_You and I."_

"_London," _Idina's voice was loving.

"_You and I,_

_I love you_

_You and I._

_We made it._

_You and I," _They finished the song together. Idina had a tear in her eye that she quickly wiped away. Tom pulled her into his arms and kissed her gently. She drew away remembering her mother and sister were in the room. She turned to face them. Cara had drawn Shelby over to the couch and they were sitting next to each other, Cara's arm around Shelby's shoulders. Helene was looking at her daughter and son-in-law with awe. She stood up and held her arms open. Idina moved into them and rested her head in the crook of her mother's neck.

"You did wonderful, Idina Kim," Helene praised, brushing her daughter's hair out of her face. "That song was simply breath taking."

"Thank you, mom," Idina pulled back and sat on the piano bench. She watched as Helene pulled Tom into a tight hug as well.

"Shelby," Helene addressed her granddaughter, causing Tom, Shelby, and Idina all to tense up. "I was wrong for what I said. Becoming a performer is a great career choice. I apologize for saying that the only way you'll get a shot at Broadway is if your mother helps me. I know you're perfectly capable of doing whatever your heart desires. And if that's becoming a singer like your mother or an actor like your father, so be it. Who am I to judge?"

"I… I don't know what to say," Shelby stuttered. "Thank you, grandmother. I accept your apology. I know you were only looking out for my best interests."

"Now come here, my little Streisand," Helene laughed as Idina protested. Shelby moved and gave her grandmother a hug. "I hope one day you're better than both Barbra and your mother."

"Remind me again why we let her stay here," Idina groaned as she leaned against Tom.

"Because I'm your mother and you love me," Helene bantered.

Idina rolled her eyes and moved into the kitchen. She needed some wine. Or whiskey. Or vodka. Yeah, vodka sounded nice. But as soon as she pulled the bottle out, Tom took it away from her and held it above her head. She crossed her arms and glared at him, not even attempting to get it from him because she already knew she was too short.

"Not this early in the day," He scolded her. "You can have some wine."

"I hate you," Idina murmured, getting a wine glass from the cupboard and pouring herself red wine.

"No you don't. You love me," Tom said kissing her.

"Sometimes I wonder if that makes me insane," Idina murmured, pulling him down for another kiss that was much deeper and longer than the first.


	17. Chapter 14

**Hey guys! I am **_**so **_**sorry that this has taken six months to complete the next chapter but life has gotten pretty hectic. Four days after we updated this last, LokiistheDoctor and I lost an incredibly close friend due to a heart attack. Because of that we have taken time to mourn. School has also been pretty hectic for the both of us and we can hardly find time to write. I also managed to snag tickets to see Idina in If/Then when it opened in Denver. I ended up seeing her three times while it was here and I was blown away! Highly recommend seeing it if you get the chance. Then in mid-January I lost my horse due to navicular disease and that hit me extremely hard. I haven't really had the energy to write nor the motivation. But I was on Skype with LokiistheDoctor and something hit me. I couldn't stop writing until I realized it was almost 2am and I had to get sleep for school. I made this chapter extra long for you guys, longer than I usually write. Let's not forget to mention that this was supposed to be LokiistheDoctor's chapter but she threw it onto me. So I hope you guys enjoy it. And your support is greatly appreciated! Reading your comments and reactions to this story really warms our hearts! Thank you guys so much for supporting this fanfic and falling in love with these characters like we did. We love all of you so much! ~IdinaismyQueen**

After spending the entire afternoon catching up with each other, Helene retired to Dawn's room, where she was staying while she was in New York. Tom, Idina, Cara, and the girls stayed downstairs to watch a movie. Idina and Cara sat together on the loveseat next to each other. Shelby sat at her mother's feet. Dawn and Tom sat on the other couch, Dawn cuddled into his side. They decided to watch "Identity Thief." Much to Idina's dismay. Because of this, she got up and grabbed two wine glasses and a bottle of white wine. She poured herself and Cara a glass before playing the movie and settling back on the couch next to her sister. Shelby leaned her head back against Idina's legs as soon as the movie started. Tom and Dawn kept murmuring to each other, giggling every so often. Idina rolled her eyes and finished her wine, setting it on the table in front of her. She began playing with Shelby's hair, not paying attention to the movie at all. Tom and Dawn continued to whisper to each other.

"I'm going to beat both of you unless you be quiet," Cara snapped after a few more minutes of them chattering. "What are you two even talking about?"

"That, my dear, is none of your concern," Tom smiled at Cara who just glared at him.

"Dawn," Cara turned her gaze to her eldest niece.

"We were talking about how you would've come up with a million different reasons to not let dad go after somebody who stole his identity," Dawn elaborated, laughing as Tom muttered "traitor" under his breath. "And we agreed that he would've gone anyway."

"Well, I hope your father _doesn't _up letting his identity get stolen," Idina looked at her husband while combing Shelby's hair with her fingers. "If he does, he'll be dead before he could go after whoever did it."

"Which is exactly why it will never happen," Tom affirmed. "I'm far too young and beautiful to be murdered."

"You're such a drama queen," Idina rolled her eyes in mock annoyance but her smile gave away that she was enjoying the banter. She began to rub Shelby's shoulders and glanced up at the clock in the kitchen. 10:47pm. "You girls should get to bed. Dawn, you have school tomorrow. Shelby, you have a piano lesson at seven and a vocal lesson at ten."

"Wait, Shelby isn't going to school tomorrow?" Dawn gaped at her mother and sister. "Why not?"

"Unlike you, you're sister doesn't do well in social settings," Idina explained as she got up to put her wine glass in the sink. "And before you ask, no, you're not allowed to be homeschooled, Dawn."

"We pay to put you into a school with a phenomenal acting program, we aren't pulling you out of it," Tom backed up Idina. "Besides, we all know that you wouldn't like being home schooled. Like your mother said, you excel in social settings. You wouldn't be able to do that from home."

"Fine," Dawn sighed, getting up. "I need to finish reading that dumb Shakespeare book anyway."

"Dumb? Dumb!?" Tom gasped and looked at his eldest child. "Shakespeare is _not _dumb, Dawn. He's the greatest writer of all time!"

"He's the only person that I've ever read that has ever written strictly in iambic pentameter," Dawn rolled her eyes, looking scarily like her mother. "Eleven syllables every line is the dumbest thing. And they're all tragedies. They're all the same."

Giving her mother and aunt each a kiss to the cheek, Dawn ruffled her sister's hair before retreating upstairs to her room. Tom was still sitting on the couch completely stunned because of what Dawn had said. Idina fixed Shelby's hair before helping her stand up from the floor. They hugged quickly before Shelby did the same as her sister, only stopping to give her father a kiss to the cheek as well. She ventured upstairs to her room.

With the children in their rooms, Idina sat next to Tom who quickly wrapped his arm around her. Her head rested on his shoulder, gently drawing random designs on his thigh with her nails. Cara sipped at her wine still, nursing it for as long as she could. Tom stuck his tongue out at her. She returned the gesture by flipping him off. Idina grabbed one of the pillows from the couch and threw it at Cara, smiling when her sister didn't react quick enough and it hit her in the face. Cara glared at her and quickly finished her wine.

"I'm going to leave you two alone now," Cara quickly washed her wine glass before retiring to her room.

"It's nice outside, care to join me?" Tom stood up and offered Idina her hand.

"Of course," Idina's smile was broad as she took his hand, standing up when he pulled her.

"Did it hurt?" Tom asked her when they walked out onto the back porch.

"When I fell from heaven?" Idina teased, turning to him.

"No," Tom pulled her close by the hips. "When you fell for me."

"You're such a goof," Idina laughed lightly before pulling him down for a soft kiss.

"But I'm your goof," Tom wrapped his arms around her.

"Forever and always," Idina whispered, leaning her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

It remained quiet for the next few minutes. They stood in each other's arms the entire time. Neither one of them moving. There was a slight breeze that stirred the tips of Idina's hair. There were a few clouds scattered across the night sky, the stars were shining brightly. Tom moved his hand up to Idina's back, gently rubbing it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Idina looked up at him in question. He merely kissed her softly before music started to play on the speakers they had set up around the porch.

"May I have a dance?" Tom looked at Idina.

"Of course," Idina smiled up at him lovingly.

She put her hands on his shoulders while he put his on her hips. They began to gently circle around the porch to Lady Antebellum's _If I Knew Then. _Idina's head once again ended up on Tom's chest. It had been a while since they've had alone time like this. Of course they had time when the girls were at school but between Tom working and Idina working, it was hard to get genuine time like this. Though little words were said, this moment spoke volumes to them. As they continued to sway to the music, Dawn and Shelby watched them from Dawn's bedroom window.

"Mom and dad are adorable," Dawn mused. "I hope I can find a guy like dad one day."

"So do I, sis," Shelby agreed. "They're perfect together."

The girls continued to watch them until they heard the song end. It was then that Shelby retreated back into her room and Dawn finished getting ready for bed.

Back down below, Idina had her eyes closed, her breathing even. When she looked up at her husband, there were tears in her eyes. He wiped them away gently with his thumb, before bending down to kiss her. She eagerly kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. He kept one hand cupping her cheek and moved the other moved around her waist, pulling her flush against him. She deepened the kiss when she tangled her hands into his hair and pulled him down closer to her.

They were interrupted by somebody clearing there throat. Idina turned on a dime to see who interrupted them. Standing just outside the doorway, was Helene. Her arms were crossed, a look of disapproval written all over her face.

"Mom, I thought you went to bed," Idina stuttered a little bit, still flushed.

"I thought I would get some fresh air when I stumbled across you and your husband making out like you're two high schoolers," Helene mused, taking a step forward.

"With all due respect, ma'am, Idina is old enough to make her own decisions," Tom intervened before a fight could fully break out. He knew Idina didn't take well to being ordered around. "As well as this is _our _house. If we want to have a makeout session in _our _backyard, so be it. There's nothing you can do about it."

"Excuse me, Tom, but this is between me and my daughter, not you," Helene turned her cold gaze to him. "Now if you'll excuse us."

"No, mother," Idina's voice was low, almost a growl. "Anything you have to say to me, Tom can hear as well. Just because my marriage has lasted a hell of a longer than yours and dad's did, doesn't mean you have to try to ruin mine."

"Idina Kim Menzel," Helene snapped. "I thought I raised you better than to speak to me like that."

"You don't get to use that every time I do something you don't approve of," Idina crossed her arms. "I'm not perfect like Cara is. I don't bend to your rules and I know you hate it. But _I don't care. _I'm who I am, and you're who you are. We're different people. And if you can't get that through your head, you have no reason to be in my life, or my daughter's anymore. Goodnight, mother."

Idina grabbed a stunned Tom's hand and pushed past her mother into the house. Helene stood on the porch, dumbfounded by the way her daughter had just spoken to her. Idina immediately went into the kitchen and poured herself another glass of wine. A headache was starting to creep up on her. She downed the glass quickly before putting the it in the dishwasher. She rested her hands on the counter, head down, trying to control her anger. She heard Tom approach from behind her and she shook her head. He backed off, knowing better than to upset her even more.

"I'll be in our room," Tom informed her. "Maybe you should go down to your room and relax for a little bit."

"I'm sorry, Tom," Idina turned to look up at him. "Tonight was perfect and she had to ruin it. I'll be up in a little bit."

"Take your time, my love," Tom grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator then left.

Idina went down to her studio. She didn't bother locking the door like she usually did. Her mother knew better, hopefully, than to try to confront Idina again. The piano in the middle of the room was begging Idina to play it. She complied after finding a song to play. Sitting down, she unfolded the sheet music and set it on the piano. Her fingers found the keys and they began to play flawlessly. There was no thought in her mind as she played the music, occasionally closing her eyes as she played. Suddenly a voice filled the room, startling Idina and causing her to turn her head.

Shelby stood in the doorway, singing along with the music. A small smile graced Idina's lips as she watched her daughter advance towards the piano. Easily sliding onto the hood of it, Shelby continued to sing while her mother played. Shelby wrapped her fingers around the edge of it, leaning forward slightly while she sang. Idina kept eye contact with her daughter, her smile getting wider and wider as she listened to her daughter belt her heart out.

"_It comes down to reality, and it's fine with me cause I've let it slide,_

_I don't care if it's Chinatown or on the Riverside,_

_I don't have any reasons,_

_I've left them all behind,_

_I'm in a New York state of mind_

_Oh yeah," _Shelby's voice started to get stronger as she sang.

By the time the final verse rolled around, she was full on singing, not holding back. This caused Idina to smirk. Her mother was probably hearing all of this and she was glad. Once the song was over, Idina rested her hands in her lap, looking up at her daughter. Shelby had hopped off the piano and had moved over to the mini fridge next to her mother's filing cabinet. She returned with a gatorade and slid back onto the piano. She took a drink, eyes locked on her mother. Putting the cap back on the bottle, she set it on the piano.

"You're the worst listener ever," Idina chuckled. "I told you to go to bed, Shelby."

"Dad told me to come down," Shelby explained. "He woke me up actually. He thought you might like some company that wasn't him. Said you going into a fight with your mom."

"It's nothing, baby girl," Idina soothed. "It's nothing that I can't handle."

"I don't doubt that," Shelby stated. "But you shouldn't work yourself up like this. You're going to make yourself sick with all of this stress."

"And you're going to get sick from not getting enough sleep," Idina raised an eyebrow, grabbing Shelby's gatorade and taking a drink from it.

"Dad's cancelling my lessons," Shelby laughed nervously. "Wants me to have a day off."

"That man," Idina exasperated, shaking her head. "Well then I guess I can't yell at you, now can I? You better thank your father."

"Already have," Shelby smirked as her mother rolled her eyes. "Oh, he also told me to tell you that you should have a civil conversation with your mother."

"Oh, bullshit," Idina spat. "I don't want to talk to her anymore. Now I know why my dad always called her a bitch. Even that's too polite. She's a-"

"Mother!" Shelby's voice cut Idina off.

"Sorry, Shelby," Idina muttered her apology sheepishly. "She just makes my blood boil."

"I can tell," Shelby observed. "I don't exactly like her either. I told her I forgave her for what she said to me but I really didn't. What kind of grandmother tells her granddaughter she needs to find a different career path because she'll never be able to achieve her dream. I don't care if I was in your shadow the entire time. You're phenomenal and if she can't see that, she can stay the hell out of our lives."

"Oh, my god…" Idina stared at her daughter. "You really are a carbon copy of me."

"And yet you didn't believe dad," Shelby poked her mother in the shoulder with her foot. "He's smarter than you give him credit for."

"Yeah, yeah," Idina waved a dismissive hand, smiling the whole time. "So I've heard. How are you and Cameron?"

"Good. Great. Amazing," Shelby looked down, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Someone is smitten," Idina moved over onto the couch and stretched out across it. "You fell hard for him, didn't you, missy?"

"Maybe," Shelby followed her mother and sat down on her lap. "Okay, yes. Momma, he's perfect. I've never met anybody like him before."

"Well, I hope to meet this boy sometime soon," Idina ran her hand up and down her daughter's back. "If you want, he can come over for dinner tomorrow."

"Really?" Shelby squealed, leaning down and hugging her mother tightly. "Mom, you're the best!"

"So you've said," Idina laughed lightly. "Now, get up to bed."

"And if I don't?" Shelby pressed.

"Then Cameron can't come over," Idina's threat had no weight to it.

"Yeah, right," Shelby rolled her eyes. "You never go back on your word."

"I hate that you know me better than you should," Idina sat up. This caused Shelby to tumble to the floor. "Now get to bed."

"Will you sing to me?" Shelby stood up and moved towards the door.

"Of course, baby," Idina followed her daughter. "I'll never not sing to you."

They made their way up into Shelby's room. The younger Hiddleston crawled into bed while Idina sat on the edge. Instead of her head hitting the pillow, Shelby rested it in her mother's lap. Idina's fingers began to run through Shelby's hair. She was humming quietly and she felt Shelby relax almost immediately. After a few minutes, Shelby was out like a light. Idina slowly detangled herself from her daughter before leaving the room quietly. She made her way into Dawn's room. Poking her head in, she saw her eldest daughter was sound asleep. She moved into the room and kissed Dawn's forehead before leaving the room. She then made her way into hers and Tom's room.

Her husband was awake and reading as usual. He looked up as she walked in and smiled widely. Idina walked into their closet, quickly changing into sweats and a Broadway tank top. She did her bathroom routine in less time than usual. Returning back into the bedroom, Idina crawled into bed with Tom. Moving his book into one hand, he put an arm around Idina. She rested her head on his chest, eyes lazily scanning the page of his book. His fingers began to comb through the ends of her hair. They remained like this for fifteen minutes before Tom felt Idina's breathing even out. When he looked down, he noticed she was asleep. Very gently as to not wake her, he set his book down on the nightstand and turned off the light. He leaned down to kiss the top of her head, a small smile gracing her lips, before he, too, joined her in sleep.

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The last thing that Idina expected to wake up to was her daughter's jumping onto the bed. With a groan, Idina rolled over and buried her head under a pillow, much like a teenager would do. One of her daughters, Shelby she guessed, started to shake her shoulders while Dawn tickled her. Knowing that they weren't going to let up on their feeble attempt to wake her up, she rolled over and pulled them both into her sides, squeezing them tightly. They both squealed in surprise before laughing along with their mother. They relaxed into her sides, each resting their head on her shoulder. Tom walked in on them like this. Without warning, he jumped on all three of them, eliciting groans from each and everyone of them.

"Alright, tubbers, get up," Idina huffed, shoving him off the bed. "I have to go cook you heathens breakfast. Well, except maybe you, Tom."

"But, Idina," Tom gave her his signature pout. "Don't you love me?"

"I'm debating on that right now," Idina couldn't help but laugh at the look of pure horror on Tom's face as she made her way into the bathroom to brush her hair and teeth.

The second she walked into the kitchen, Idina could feel the tenseness. Her mother sat at the kitchen table nursing a cup of coffee. Cara was sitting across from her, a cup of coffee in front of her as well. They seemed to be in a deep conversation and didn't notice Idina had entered the room until she put a frying pan on the stove. Their heads snapped in her direction so fast she imagined they got whiplash from it. Helene's eyes bore into the back of Idina's head as she prepared pancake mix for her family. Cara merely finished her coffee then got up to get more, quickly giving Idina a kiss to the cheek. She poured herself another cup of coffee then poured Idina one as well. She meandered back to the kitchen table but sat at the bar instead. Idina continued to pull bacon out of the refrigerator followed by eggs.

"You feed your family bacon?" The tone of Helene's voice made Idina bristle.

"And since when did you go kosher, mother?" Idina snapped, turning to look at her mother. "Because last I remember, you used to cook us bacon with our breakfast."

"Yes, but," Helene began.

"I don't care what you have to say," Idina slammed her hands on the counter. "You are here as a guest and I will not tolerate you being rude. I don't care what you think about, my home, my career, but do not try to tell my how I should parent my children because I feel like I have done a pretty damn good job for the past seventeen years. I don't need your approval for everything, or _anything, _ that I do. I'm not a child anymore and you can't control me. If you don't like it, the door is over there."

"Well, if that's how you feel, fine," Helene got up and walked up to the room she was staying in.

"What the hell was that about?" Cara asked bewildered.

"Mom walked out on me and Tom having some alone time last night," Idina explained while she mixed the pancake batter.

"She walked out on you two, you know," Cara tried to be as subtle as possible but failed.

"Oh, god, no, Cara," Idina poured some batter into the pan then began to cook the eggs. "We were just kissing after Tom asked me for a dance. Apparently it was too 'high school teenage girl' for mom."

"Don't be so vague about things, Dee," Cara took a sip of her coffee. "I don't need those images going through my mind."

"How do you think your nieces came to be? The stork didn't drop them off," Idina winked at her sister who gagged. "Oh, you love me. Don't deny it."

Cara couldn't respond due to Helene walking down with her luggage. Without a single word being said, she walked out the front door, slamming it forcefully. Idina rolled her eyes and continued to cook. Cara turned on some music from her phone. Idina smiled and rolled her eyes in a playful manner when her sister did so. Fifteen minutes later, Idina had breakfast cooked and the entire family was sitting at the table eating.

"So I see your mother is gone," Tom mused.

"I don't want to talk about it, Tom," Idina gave him a level stare.

"Alright, alright," Tom put his hands up. "I won't mention it again. So Shelby, I hear that Cameron is coming over tonight?"

"Mmhmmm," Shelby smiled like the lovestruck teenager she was. Dawn nudged her sister with her elbow, wiggling her eyebrows. "At five."

"We can't wait to meet the young man," Idina commented, getting up to start the dishes.

"Don't put the fear of God into him, please," Shelby begged.

"Not going to promise anything," Cara got up to help Idina, taking Dawn and Shelby's plates with her. "You know us, Shelby."

"Mom," Shelby turned frantic eyes to her mother.

"We won't do anything, Shelbs," Idina reassured her youngest. "Oh, and Dawn, change in plan. You're not going to school today. I need your help cooking for tonight."

"Seriously?" Dawn's jaw nearly dropped.

"Yep," Tom stood and wandered over to the kitchen sink to wash his plate. "And you're going to help me with some yard work as well. You too, Cara."

"Shelby, I'll be giving you your vocal lesson today," Idina finished putting the dishes away. "But first, go clean your room. It wasn't the cleanest last night. You know I expect better than that."

"Yes, mother," Shelby meandered to her room to begin the task that was given to her.

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Four-forty rolled around faster than anybody expected. The entire family was hanging out in the nice weather outside in the backyard. Dawn and Shelby were playing fetch with Loki and Fiyero. Tom and Idina sat on the swing, watching their children with wide smiles. Cara was lounging in the hammock, reading a book. The second the doorbell rang, Shelby froze. The adults merely looked at each other, each with a knowing smirk. Shelby booked it to the front door before anybody else could. She made herself presentable before opening the door.

"Hey, Cameron," Shelby smiled.

"Hey, Shelbs," Cameron smiled back. His short, black hair was slightly tousled. His brown eyes bright. He wore a blue v-neck t-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. Black high-top converse topped the outfit off. "How are you?"

"Good. And you?" Shelby stepped back and motioned for him to come inside.

"Pretty good," He looked down at her. "I've been waiting for this all day."

"Really?" Butterflies filled Shelby's stomach. "Why?"

"So I could see you," Cameron pulled her close and gently kissed her. She smiled against it.

"Come out back and I'll introduce you to everybody," Shelby pulled away before she could get caught.

With a nod, she grabbed his hand and led him into the backyard. Everybody was in the same spot they were before, except Dawn. She was sitting in a lawn chair, tanning her legs. The dogs lay underneath the table that was sitting on the patio. When Shelby and Cameron walked outside, Idina and Tom moved their gaze to them. Both of them looked surprised at how nervous Shelby was. Tom was the first to stand, Idina following suit. They walked over to the two.

"Cameron, these are my parents, Tom and Idina. Mom, dad, this is Cameron," Shelby introduced them, begging with her eyes for them to behave. "And over on the hammock is my aunt Cara, my mom's sister. And you already know Dawn."

"It's nice to meet you, Cameron," Idina shook the young man's hand.

"You too, Mrs. Hiddleston," Cameron smiled up at her. "As well as you, Mr. Hiddleston, and Ms. Menzel."

"Please, just call us by our first names," Tom clapped Cameron on the back. "Idina, dear, how long until dinner is ready?"

"It's actually ready," Idina's eyes moved between Shelby and Cameron then settled on their joined hands. "If we all go inside, we can eat."

"Sounds like a wonderful idea," Cara stood up. "I'm starving. And I can't wait to learn more about the young man that has capture my niece's heart."

Shelby groaned at her aunt's comment causing everybody else to laugh. Cameron wrapped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed her gently. Idina ushered everybody inside so she could serve dinner. The dinner went over well, Tom doing all that he could to embarrass his daughter, Idina scolding him for it. Shelby blushed almost the entire night but also glared at her family when she knew they were looking. By the time Cameron left, the entire family had approved of him. After helping her mother clean up, Shelby retreated to her room and got ready for bed. Fifteen minutes after crawling into bed and texting Cameron, there was a knock at the door. She approved their request to come in. It was her mother and her father. They walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of it, Idina closer to Shelby's head, Tom more towards her feet.

"Dinner was nice tonight," Tom commented.

"It was," Idina agreed. "Cameron is a nice young man, Shelby."

"Thanks," Shelby murmured sheepishly, avoiding all eye contact. "He really enjoyed it and says you guys are awesome."

"We're sorry if we embarrassed you," Idina commented. "But it's not everyday your baby girl brings home their first boyfriend."

"Oh, I can't wait for the day that Dawn brings home one," Tom laughed. "That'll be a joyride. But, I do apologize for embarrassing you. Although, he seemed pretty interested in hearing them."

"He was," Shelby grumbled. "Trust me. He loved hearing them. He hopes we can spend more time together outside of rehearsal. If that's okay with you guys."

"Of course, darling," Tom squeezed her knee gently. "He makes you happy, we can see that. And we don't want to stand in the way of your happiness."

"We would be bad parents if we did," Idina added. "You should get some sleep now, sweetheart. It's been a long day for you."

"I will," Shelby locked her phone then put it on the charger and put it on her nightstand. "Thank you guys again for letting me have him over. It means a lot."

"Don't mention it, love," Tom stood up and kissed Shelby on the forehead. "Goodnight, dear. Sleep well."

"Goodnight, dad," Shelby smiled up at him then rolled onto her side as he left the room.

"We really are proud of you, Shelby," Idina smiled down at her daughter. "And we love you so very, very much. Thank you for letting us get to know your boyfriend. I know how hard it is for you to open up to people and let them into your life. I can see that Cameron is good for you. And I hope that one day, you will marry him and love each other as much as your father and I do. Now get some sleep."

"Thanks, momma," Shelby yawned, eyes getting heavy. "I love you. G'night."

"Goodnight, baby girl," Idina kissed Shelby's forehead. "I love you too."

Leaving the room, Idina turned off the light and shut the door. As she walked downstairs to spend some quality time with Tom, she smiled to herself. She was incredibly proud of both of her daughters. Both her and Tom were. They could've have asked for a better life. It was then she vowed to never become like her mother. She didn't want to become closed off, condescending, and rude. And if she had any say in it, she wouldn't.

She sat down next to Tom who handed her a glass of her favorite red wine before pulling her legs up under her. He turned on the tv and they watched _Valentine's Day _while they cuddled into each other. Today had been the perfect day.

**So sorry that I didn't write out the whole Cameron/Hiddleston family dinner but it's currently 3am at the time I'm finishing this. But hopefully there will be more Cameron in the near future! Also, I mentioned this in the previous chapter I believe, but both LokiistheDoctor and I are writing spinoffs of Dawn and Shelby. I have also started one for Lana Parrilla based off a dream I had. If you guys want us to upload those PLEASE tell us and we most likely will! Thank you guys so much for reading it and if you have any ideas for upcoming chapters, feel free to leave them in the reviews and we will see what we can do. **


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